Dormitory life is believed to be at the center of a group outbreak of the novel coronavirus in a high school soccer club in Matsue City, Shimane Prefecture.
As of Monday, 91 cases of infection had been confirmed at Rissho Univ. Shonan High School, with the majority being male students from the soccer club. The club has been touring Osaka, Tottori and Kagawa prefectures for matches.
Tottori and Kagawa prefectures are conducting polymerase chain reaction, or PCR, tests on people involved.
According to the Matsue municipal government and other sources, 88 out of the 138 soccer club members and two teachers involved with the club have been infected. A member of the school's baseball club also tested positive.
About 30 of the infected persons have symptoms such as a fever and headache, but none are seriously ill. In addition to the 91 cases, a relative of a soccer club member has also been confirmed to be infected.
A member of the soccer club tested positive on Saturday, so about 150 people who had been in close contact with that student were tested on Sunday. Testing of all 309 students and about 30 teachers is underway, and 80 people were confirmed to be negative on Monday.
According to the school, students sleep two to a room at the dormitory and use a communal bath. Preventive measures against infection had been taken, such as washing hands, sterilization and gargling, as well as staggered use of the cafeteria and bath.
The school's soccer club is known as one of the nation's best. The club has so far participated 18 times in the All Japan High School Soccer Tournament and has produced many professional players, including former national team member Masayuki Okano.
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