Alarmed by an increase in infections in Tokyo's nightlife districts, the metropolitan government of the Japanese capital has released a series of educational videos in the form of Q&A between company boys and a doctor, hoping to stop the spread of the outbreak.
"What kind of symptoms can a young COVID-19 patient expect?", "What are the medical consequences?" and "How often should we disinfect our hands?" These are some of the questions asked in the three videos that show young nightclub workers in the districts with the most company-owned locals in the city. In them, infections have continued to increase since the government lifted a state of emergency in late May.
In the first of the videos, which last between seven and eight minutes, the host of a nightclub, Shota Taira, asks general questions to a doctor, as if an asymptomatic person who tested positive could infect others. Taira then throws a heart-shaped pillow at another owner in the following video, as if passing the baton to the questions and answers. Both questions focus on preventive measures, while the final interlocutor, another local owner, focuses on the question of what to do if he becomes infected.
The doctor recommends temperature controls at the entrance of the premises, maintain a safe distance between the seats and severely warns them against the habit of drinking directly from the same bottle or that customers are served by different company boys or girls.
Covid-19 outbreaks have recently been reported in various clubs in the Kabukicho and Ikebukuro districts known to these locals. In four of the last six days, Tokyo has registered more than 200 infections, which, although relatively few compared to other places in the world, set a record in the city's records. Also, most infected people are in their 20s and 30s and do not develop symptoms (or develop them only weakly), making it difficult to trace the virus.
That is why the Tokyo authorities are conducting more tests in those districts, and have urged nightclubs to follow safety guidelines. If not, the Minister of Economy, Yasutoshi Nishimura, has warned them that they may close the premises.