Tokyo sets new coronavirus record in one day, Yokosuka naval base orders curfew

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TOKYO – Japan and its capital on Wednesday reported their highest number of new coronavirus cases in a day.

On the same day, the nation’s largest U.S. naval base ordered a nighttime curfew and other measures to tackle a growing cluster of coronavirus infections of unknown origin.

Japan surpassed 5,000 new coronavirus cases for the first time on Wednesday, according to NHK public broadcaster, who provided no further information.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government reported that 1,591 people tested positive on Wednesday, surpassing the previous record of 1,337 reached on Dec. 31, according to the metropolitan government and the NHK.

The number of critically ill patients in Tokyo on Wednesday was 113, the highest number on record, NHK reported.

Although Japan’s numbers are low compared to many other countries its size, the third wave of the coronavirus has hit the country hardest. He set and broke record after record in December.

U.S. military bases in Japan reported 69 new patients on Tuesday night through 6 p.m. Wednesday, including 46 at Yokosuka Naval Base and 17 at nearby Atsugi Naval Air Base.

The new patients at Yokosuka, the home 35 miles south of Tokyo of the U.S. 7th Fleet, have tested positive since December 30, according to a Facebook post.

Eleven fell ill with symptoms of COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus; 23 others were discovered during contact tracing. Nine were recent arrivals in Japan and one tested positive in a medical examination. Two employees at the base also fell ill and tested positive, according to the naval base. The base has 86 patients under observation.

Base commander Captain Rich Jarrett has imposed a curfew and other measures to stem the local outbreak, he said in a video Facebook address on Wednesday.

“We are entering a critical new phase in our COVID-19 response,” Jarrett said in the 4.5-minute video. “Next month will be tough, possibly our toughest time in COVID-19 response. “

The thousands of naval base affiliates are to be at home, either on the base or in the surrounding community, between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m., according to Jarrett’s order posted on Facebook.

Hotel stays are prohibited unless related to official business, Jarrett said. Visitor passes are canceled. Base restaurants can only serve take out orders. Travel on public transport is prohibited except for essential activities or business travel with no other alternatives available, Jarrett said.

Defense Department schools on the base will remain in session, he said. He also said units should encourage telecommuting and 50% staffing where possible.

Jarrett in December attributed a local outbreak to individuals who violated bans on visiting high-risk areas and visiting prohibited bars and similar places. Hundreds of sailors were quarantined as a precaution on the base quarters or on the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan as a result.

“However, over the past 10 days we are now seeing many single cases that are not traceable to a previously known cluster,” he said, “and the sources of these infections are unknown”.

Jarrett said he ordered a curfew after Kanagawa Prefecture, where the base is located, requested that the base cease operations after 8 p.m. Essential work and service personnel are exempt.

The Japanese government is preparing for a state of emergency in the four prefectures that make up the greater Tokyo metropolitan area, including Kanagawa, in a bid to curb the spread of the virus, Jarrett said.

Naval Air Facility Atsugi, 25 miles northwest of Yokosuka, reported that 17 people tested positive for the virus on Wednesday. All 17 were already in quarantine, base spokesman Sam Samuelson said on Wednesday.

Iwakuni Marine Corps Air Base, 500 miles west of Tokyo, reported three new coronavirus patients on Wednesday, according to a Facebook post. One was quarantined as close contact with another infected individual; the other two were not isolated but the base provided no further information.

Kadena Air Force Base in Okinawa reported three new patients on Wednesday, all of whom tested positive during the mandatory two-week quarantine after traveling out of Japan, according to a Facebook post.

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