Maintenance technicians with face masks on carry heavy equipment as they toil over an aircraft under the scorching heat. At a gym, servicemen run on socially distanced treadmills. Children in classrooms are seated with plexiglass shields around their desks.
These are just a few examples of how Yokota Air Base in western Tokyo — home to the U.S. Forces Japan — is coping with new normals during the novel coronavirus pandemic. The scenes offer a rare glimpse into the U.S. military’s battle against COVID-19, which has come under heavy scrutiny following virus outbreaks at bases in Okinawa in July.
While the Okinawa clusters stoked fears that the U.S. military’s presence was potentially undercutting Japanese authorities’ efforts to mitigate the spread of the virus, few signs of gaps in oversight or disregard for social distancing were visible on a recent visit to Yokota Air Base.
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