Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike held an emergency press conference Monday saying that many people have been found to be infected with the new coronavirus at nightclubs, bars and other such venues that operate from nighttime to early morning.
Of the 38 people who were infected at such venues, nine are in their 30s, 13 are in their 40s and seven in their 50s.
Koike called on middle-aged people to refrain from going to nightclubs and bars, and on young people to refrain from going to karaoke venues and live music clubs.
The number of people infected with the virus is rapidly increasing in Tokyo. The number of people found infected each day in Tokyo was in the 40s from March 25 to 27, and exceeded 60 on March 28 and 29. On Monday, 13 people were found to have been infected, bringing the total to 443.
While the outbreak at Eiju General Hospital in Taito Ward, Tokyo, is spreading, the number of cases in which the infection route cannot be identified is also increasing.
A Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry task force and other organizations analyzed cases in which the route of infection was unknown and found that the 38 people were suspected of having contracted the virus at nightclubs and other such venues. Several cases of infection have been confirmed at luxury clubs in the Ginza and Roppongi districts of Tokyo. In some cases, it is impossible to track down others who were in close contact with infected female workers because they do not reveal who is using the venues, according to government sources.
"Such venues are places where the three conditions of 'poorly ventilated enclosed space,' 'many people crowded together' and 'close conversation at close range' are concentrated," Koike said at the press conference at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Office in Shinjuku Ward.
Meanwhile, Koike said that medical institutions in Tokyo have already secured 500 beds for treating those infected with the virus and the number will be gradually increased to up to 4,000 beds.
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