Japan Press Weekly

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2020 July 29 - August 4 [US FORCES]

239 US military-related individuals in Okinawa infected with coronavirus

A total of 239 U.S. military-related individuals in Okinawa have been found to be infected with COVID-19 as of July 28. Okinawa Governor Tamaki Denny at a press conference in the prefectural government office building said he wants the U.S. military to promptly provide detailed information regarding the PCR testing performed as well as the movement records of those infected.

Tamaki also said he will demand that the U.S. forces in Okinawa take measures to prevent U.S. personnel who live outside U.S. bases and U.S. military-attached civilian employees from contracting COVID-19.

Regarding the Futenma base and Camp Hansen where infection clusters have occurred, he added, "I have been told that these facilities are basically under lockdown, but I will make sure of the actual status of their operations."

On the same day, a liaison body of 58 civic groups in protest of human rights abuses by U.S. soldiers against Okinawans visited the Okinawa Defense Bureau to submit a written request calling for disclosure of detailed information on COVID-19 infections among the U.S. forces in Okinawa. They also demanded on-base quarantines and a revision of the Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement.

Japanese Communist Party Okinawa Prefectural Assemblyperson Nishime Sumie, also a member of the liaison organization, pointed out that information such as an infected person's activity records and close contacts is essential to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the prefecture. She said, "Okinawans now feel worried because no details have been given."

Past related article:
> Pushed by public pressure, USFJ begins reporting COVID-19 cases at each base [July 22, 2020]