Photo/Illutration Coronavirus infections have been confirmed in four people who attended a concert at the Osaka Kyobashi Live House Arc in Osaka’s Miyakojima Ward in February. (Taku Hosokawa)

The government heightened its request for the public to help prevent the spread of the new coronavirus by urging people to avoid congregating in enclosed spaces.

The call came at a March 1 meeting of the government’s coronavirus task force and after clusters of infections were reported at gatherings in poorly ventilated venues around the nation.

The government also urged organizers to review the need for holding events, regardless of their size.

If such events are still held, organizers are asked to take measures to ensure all spaces have decent air ventilation and that people can to talk to each other beyond arm’s length.

A study by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare found that one coronavirus carrier infected 12 others aboard a crowded houseboat in Tokyo in January.

In another case, one infected individual transmitted the virus to nine others at a gym.
The virus was also present at a live concert in Osaka in February. Two people in Osaka Prefecture and one in Kochi who were at the show recently tested positive.

On March 2, Ehime Prefecture confirmed a fourth coronavirus case of a concert-goer. The prefectural government said the infected individual was a woman who works at a bank branch in the town of Ainan. The bank branch halted operations the same day.

The government said infections have also spread at a buffet-style dinner, a mah-jongg parlor, a ski guest house and an enclosed tent.

It said these venues carry a high risk of contagion because they typically have poor air circulation, people within remain in close contact, and many unspecified people can come and go.

On Feb. 25, the government announced a basic policy to stem the coronavirus spread by urging event organizers to review their plans. However, it said the policy does not constitute a blanket ban on events across the country.

But the government changed its policy the following day and said large-scale cultural events or gatherings should be curtailed, postponed, or canceled over a two-week period.

The virus can be transmitted when an infected individual coughs or sneezes and a nearby person inhales the droplets. Another common way of transmission is when healthy people touch their mouths, noses or eyes with hands contaminated by the virus.

The incubation period for the new coronavirus ranges from one to around 14 days, compared with three days for influenza.

A coronavirus carrier who shows no symptoms can still infect others, according to health experts.

Detecting the coronavirus at an early stage can be difficult because the symptoms are similar to those of colds, the experts said. Symptomatic people may believe they have a cold, but they could actually be infected with the coronavirus and might spread the virus to others.

In China, one woman who lives in Hubei province reportedly unknowingly infected 10 people when she had dinner with her family in Nanjing. Hubei province’s capital is Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak.

The Japanese government will buy surgical masks from manufacturers and distribute them to people in Hokkaido. As of March 1, 72 confirmed cases had been reported in Hokkaido, the most among Japan’s 47 prefectures.

Nationwide, the tally is 961 infections, including 12 deaths.

Related News