As the new coronavirus spreads in Japan, a series of multiple infections at indoor facilities, such as sports clubs, have been reported.
In those cases, asymptomatic carriers of the illness might -- unbeknownst to them -- infect others in a closed-up gym environment in which users share machines and equipment. Industry groups and gym operators have their hands full in coping with the problem.
Spate of infections
"I never thought it would spread this much," said a person in charge at Nagoya sports gym operator whose facility has several users who have tested positive.
In Nagoya, 27 people were found to have been infected with the virus as of Monday, and most of them were members of sports clubs, including one run by this company.
In mid-February, a Nagoya woman who tested positive for the virus was found to have been a member at one of the gyms, and other users at the sports club subsequently tested positive in succession as part of the process of checking people in close contact with the female patient.
In Chiba Prefecture, four people who used sports clubs in Ichikawa were found to have been infected. The number of people who had close contact with those users, including other gym members, climbed to about 800 people, and the prefectural government is interviewing each of them.
In Niigata Prefecture, five people -- one a Tokyo resident -- who have tested positive were found Tuesday to have been members of the same table tennis school in Niigata City.
In Shizuoka and Oita prefectures, people who were confirmed to have been infected with the virus were also using sports facilities.
Infected with spray droplets
One of the reasons the virus can easily spread at a sports clubs is "people working out tend to be out of breath," said Kunio Yano, director of the department of infectious diseases at Hamamatsu Medical Center.
It is believed that spray droplets have a tendency to travel quite a distance, and tight, crowded confines like gyms create an environment in which people can easily inhale them.
Using equipment used by someone infected can be another cause of the spread, and Yano called on users to "wash their hands and rub them with alcohol disinfectant frequently after using the equipment, in addition to refraining from going to the gym when experiencing cold symptoms."
Said another expert: "Sick people are unlikely to visit sports clubs, but many still have been infected there. So, it's highly likely that people with mild symptoms are spreaders."
The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry's task force has confirmed that one person can infect many in an environment with insufficient ventilation. Infections have indeed spread from one to 12 people in gyms, and from one to nine on houseboats.
Industry goes on alert
According to Tokyo-based Fitness Industry Association of Japan, the number of gyms and their memberships has been increasing year by year over the past decade. Behind the increase is believed to be improvements in convenience -- for instance, 24-hour facilities -- as well as the overall fitness fad.
In response to the current spread of the coronavirus, many sports clubs have been forced to close temporarily or cancel group-based sessions.
Central Sports Co., which operates 231 gyms nationwide, has closed locations until Tuesday to sterilize and clean the facilities.
"It's no longer someone else's problem as people have been infected at other sports clubs," Central Sports spokesperson said. "We prioritized the health of our users."
The Fukuoka city government has also closed training facilities housed in the city's gymnasiums until March 20.
The fitness association on Monday drew up guidelines that require temperature checks of all staff members, among other measures.
"We really want to avoid seeing additional infections that come from fitness facilities and undermine the trust of the industry as a whole," an association member said.
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