Two U.S. Marine bases in Okinawa have been put on lockdown by the military with 61 coronavirus cases confirmed this week, the prefectural government said Saturday.
The U.S. forces told the Okinawa government the cases were confirmed between Tuesday and Saturday at U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma and Camp Hansen, and the two bases have been locked down, prefectural government officials said.
Lt. Gen. Stacy Clardy, commander of the III Marine Expeditionary Force and head of U.S. forces in Okinawa, explained the infection situation at the military facilities to Gov. Denny Tamaki by phone, they said.
The Marine Corps said it "experienced two localized clusters of individuals who tested positive for the virus" and that all personnel who tested positive for COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the virus, are in isolation.
