The U.S. military is scrambling to contain a coronavirus outbreak that has infected dozens of service members at bases on the Japanese island of Okinawa, drawing heavy criticism from local officials.
Japanese authorities said Monday that more than 60 people across three military bases had tested positive since Tuesday, including 38 at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma and 23 at Camp Hansen. Both facilities are under lockdown, Reuters reported.
More than 25,000 American troops are based in Okinawa, and the island’s 31 U.S. bases have long been a source of tensions. Government officials on the island, which had so far reported only about 150 infections, sharply criticized the U.S. military for a lack of transparency over the outbreak.
Over the weekend, Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki demanded that U.S. military leaders step up prevention measures, and provide his government with data on the outbreak. Exact figures about the flare-up were only released on Sunday, following repeated requests from Japanese authorities for more detailed data.
“Okinawans are shocked by what we were told [by the U.S. military]," Tamaki said at a news conference Saturday, according to the Associated Press. “It is extremely regrettable that the infections are rapidly spreading among U.S. personnel when we Okinawans are doing our utmost to contain the infections.”
Japanese officials also called on the U.S. military to seal the bases off entirely. American service members have continued to travel from the United States and stayed at Okinawa hotels due to limited space at the military bases, authorities said.
“We now have strong doubts that the U.S. military has taken adequate disease prevention measures,” Tamaki added.
The hardest-hit facility, Futenma Air Base, is in the middle of a relocation dispute. Many Okinawans oppose its planned move from to a less populated area on the island’s east coast, the AP reported.
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