Japan asks event organizers to reconsider amid virus spread

February 21, 2020

Tokyo--Japan's health minister Katsunobu Kato urged organizers on Thursday to revisit the need to hold large-scale events scheduled in the country as the new coronavirus continues spreading.

Kato stopped short of requesting that all organizers refrain from staging events, and said that the decision is left up to them.

The health ministry noted that the risk of infection would rise if people stay for a certain length of time in an indoor environment that does not allow for adequate space between them and others. It called on organizers to take into account such factors as conditions of the event venues when they reconsider whether to stage the events as planned.

While refraining from calling on organizers to voluntarily cancel events, the ministry will announce new policies if changes occur in the domestic situation, such as the outbreak spreading further.

The ministry urged organizers to take concrete measures, including promoting hand washing, installing alcohol disinfectants at venues and asking people with cold-like symptoms not to attend if they decide to hold events as planned.

"Now is a very important time for preventing the virus from spreading further," Kato said, adding, "I'd like to ask all members of the public to cooperate."

The minister asked people to refrain from going outside if they have symptoms while advising the elderly and people with chronic diseases to avoid crowds.

Pointing to the importance of creating an environment in which workers and students find it easy to take leave, he said that teleworking and staggered commuting are "effective measures."

Many large-scale events in Japan are being canceled or scaled back.

The Imperial Household Agency has decided to cancel visits by the general public next Sunday to the Imperial Palace in Tokyo to celebrate Emperor Naruhito's 60th birthday that day.

The organizer of the Tokyo Marathon said Monday that it will exempt runners from the general public from this year's event, set for March 1. Jiji Press