OSAKA -- People flocked to parks and downtown areas in Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto and Hyogo prefectures on Saturday, a day before the third declaration of a state of emergency.
Parks were crowded with people having barbecues despite the risk of novel coronavirus infections.
In the Yodogawa Riverside Park in Yodogawa Ward, Osaka, groups of people were seen enjoying barbecues.
A 30-year-old man from Nishi Ward in the city was partying and drinking with his colleagues and others. "We can avoid a crowded situation here rather than drinking at home. So I guess it's safe outside," he said.
Visitors to the park are encouraged to wear masks, but there was a group of people chatting and laughing after they took off their masks in the course of eating and drinking.
However, a simulation experiment conducted by the Fugaku supercomputer has verified the risk of infection among people without masks in a barbecue scenario. When a participant spoke loudly, a person standing in front of the speaker a meter away was exposed to one-tenth of the total airborne droplets, according to the experiment.
In fact, there have been a series of cases across the nation in which barbecue participants got infected with the virus.
Facilities, where people can have barbecues, are not subject to the closure request unless they serve alcohol. The Yodogawa Riverside Park prohibits visitors to use the park for having barbecues from Sunday, but an official in charge of the park management said it would be difficult to patrol the entire riverbed.
A barbecue facility in Hyogo Prefecture plans to continue to operate also during the state of emergency.
"Some people may bring alcohol with them to the facility, but we can't ban it," said an official in charge.
Each local government is urging people not to drink in groups on the streets and in parks. Unlike indoor restaurants and other establishments, open-air areas do not create closed environments, but it is easier for people to be close to one another. When drinking, people are more likely to speak loudly, increasing the risk of infection through airborne droplets.
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
