Osaka Gov. Hirofumi Yoshimura said Wednesday the prefectural government will compensate nightspots that agreed to the public announcement of their names after infections with the new coronavirus were confirmed at their facilities.
The prefecture government plans to compensate live music clubs in Osaka that made their names public after group infections were discovered known as clusters. However, some nightspots are not cooperating because they fear a drop in their customers.
Cluster infections have been identified since mid-February among club employees, people who went to the clubs and their families. To encourage unidentified people to be tested for the virus, the prefectural government announced the names of four clubs, with those facilities' cooperation, and asked people who went to there to contact the nearest public health center.
According to the prefectural government, a total of 105 people from at least 16 prefectures visited the four clubs or had close contact with someone who has. Many contacted a health center after learning about the infections through media reports.
The live music clubs were forced to stop operating and are expected to suffer economic losses even after reopening, due to a sharp decline in the number of customers as a result of bad word of mouth.
"I think it was a difficult decision, but I appreciate these clubs' cooperation in preventing the spread of infection. I want to help people who put themselves at risk to help society," Yoshimura said. The amount of compensation will be decided later, according to sources.
Such cooperation had not been obtained, however, from a nightclub and cabaret in Kita Ward, Osaka, where Yoshimura said 10 people, including customers and employees, had been found to be infected with the virus. An additional eight people who had close contact with the nightclub and cabaret, including customers and employees of nearby eateries, were also infected.
The Osaka prefectural government confirmed that a cluster had occurred, and asked the nightclub and cabaret to agree to disclose their names. As of noon Wednesday, however, they had not done so.
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