TATEYAMA, Chiba -- Book lovers flocked to the municipal library in Kamogawa, Chiba Prefecture, which reopened Saturday following a nearly two-month temporary closure due to the spread of the new coronavirus.
The library opened with limited services for users -- such as a ban on reading in the facility and only allowing the borrowing and returning of books. Despite this, the facility attracted a fair amount of visitors from the early morning. In total, the reopening day saw 315 visitors, roughly 50 more than the average number seen on weekends prior to the viral outbreak.
"My child loves reading books, so I checked out about 20 before the temporary closure," said a woman, 34, who came with her fourth-grade daughter when the library opened at 9:30 a.m. "My daughter read them over again and again. We eagerly awaited [the library's] reopening," she said.
Having been closed since April 7, the prefecture lifted its request to shut down libraries Friday.
For the time being, the library will only be open to Kamogawa city residents, and will only allow 30 people to enter with a 30-minute time limit per person.
"I think many people came to discover the charm of books as they were afforded more opportunities to read due to the 'stay-at-home' orders," said Shigeru Makanae, 63, director of the library.
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