The Japan Sumo Association and Tokyo's Sumida Ward government have agreed to use the association's Ryogoku Kokugikan arena as a COVID-19 vaccination site, according to sources.
The JSA and the ward are set to work out a specific vaccination plan before senior citizens start receiving inoculations.
Under the central government's policy, after the vaccination of medical personnel is completed, the ward will start administering inoculations in the following order from April: first, people aged 65 and over, then people with chronic diseases, followed by non-priority residents including sumo wrestlers.
The local government had planned to vaccinate about 1,300 people a day at ward facilities and medical institutions, but if Kokugikan is used as a vaccination site, 200 more people will be able to receive inoculations.
The JSA has strengthened measures due to concerns infection clusters could emerge at the communal lodgings of sumo wrestlers. The association conducted PCR tests on wrestlers and stable masters before the January tournament.
Local public health centers in the ward dispatched doctors to support their efforts, a move that may have influenced the JSA's decision to cooperate with the ward in the vaccination project.
JSA chair Hakkaku said, "We would like to support the ward's coronavirus measures by letting them use the Kokugikan."
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
