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TOKYO — The U.S. military in Japan reported two new coronavirus patients as of 6 p.m. Thursday, one for the Navy and another for the Marines.

Both individuals are new arrivals to Japan and are in quarantine, one at Yokosuka Naval Base south of Tokyo and the other at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni in western Japan, according to posts on the installations’ Facebook pages.

The U.S. military in Japan typically does not specify whether its coronavirus patients are service members, Defense Department civilian employees, contractors or family members.

All new arrivals and travelers returning from abroad must go immediately into 14 days’ quarantine and test free of the virus before leaving isolation, according to regulations imposed by the Japanese government and U.S. Forces Japan.

The patient at MCAS Iwakuni tested positive sometime since Wednesday after arriving at the air station via a “military-coordinated” flight, according to the announcement.

“The likelihood of further spread of the virus remains low due to strict adherence to restriction of movement procedures,” it said.

At Yokosuka, the new patient tested positive sometime since Oct. 9, according to the naval base. The individual remains in quarantine. Three other people were cleared to exit quarantine, bringing the total number of active cases on base to four.

news@stripes.com

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