The spread of the new coronavirus has changed the way many people do their jobs, but not all. Essential workers are continuing to support society as they risk infection amid harsh working environments.
The parking lot of the Tomei Expressway's Ebina service area in Kanagawa Prefecture was lined with large trucks on Friday evening.
"I'm worried I might get infected because I travel across the country, but there are people waiting for their packages, " a 50 year-old male driver from Nagoya said while taking a break.
He was on his way to deliver antiseptic solution to the Tokai region from Tokyo. The number of cars on expressways has sharply decreased due to calls for people to refrain from going out, and for the first time in his 32 years as a driver, all he sees on the road are trucks.
However, his daily life has not changed. He travels between Tohoku and Kyushu, and sometimes can't go home for as long as two weeks. When he temporarily ran out of masks, he covered his mouth and nose with towels or paper towels when he met customers. The pride of supporting people's lives is what motivates him.
Sometimes he's hit by thoughtless words. The other day, several clients suspected him of being infected with the virus. In one case, he was given a thermometer that had been used by people unknown to him, and forced to take his temperature with it.
His daughter, a junior high school student, has been teased by classmates who said, "A truck is carrying the new coronavirus."
The driver said: "I'm trying so hard [to support people's lives]. It's frustrating."
The working environment is also deteriorating. According to the Japan Trucking Association, gas stations nationwide stopped offering free showers from April to long-distance truck drivers who refill at the stations.
A 40 year-old truck driver from Osaka lamented: "Showers are essential to keep us clean. This is the most serious problem among drivers."
Moves are being made to support the industry. Since late last month, a Tokyo-based venture company called Hacobu has been offering a system to handle cargo transfer procedures at logistics warehouses using smartphones for a limited period of time.
Infections with the new coronavirus have been confirmed among essential workers. On April 2, a male bus driver in his 50s with the Nonoichi office of Hokutetsu Kanazawa Bus in Nonoichi, Ishikawa Prefecture, was found to have been infected. Hokutetsu Kanazawa Bus operates bus routes in Kanazawa and other cities.
The man's route of infection is unknown, but the virus later spread to three of his fellow drivers.
As a result, a total of 403 buses on 15 routes were forced to suspend operations for three days. Buses are an important means of transportation for the elderly in the area.
Hokuriku Railroad Co., one of its group companies, returned to its normal schedule on April 16 after ensuring that drivers wear masks and take their temperature before going to work.
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