The operators of Tokyo Dome unveiled on Monday coronavirus prevention measures ahead of the first professional baseball game to be played in front of spectators at the stadium this season, on July 28.
The Yomiuri Shimbun Holdings, the Yomiuri Giants and Tokyo Dome Corp. presented such measures as improved ventilation at a press conference in Bunkyo Ward, Tokyo, on Monday
The existing ventilation system will be used to increase the airflow by 1.5 times to seating areas around the stadium and 30 large ventilators have been installed in the concourse to improve air circulation.
A tracing system will also be introduced, through which spectators will be notified if someone they were seated near is later confirmed to have been infected with the coronavirus.
Hiroyuki Kunishima, a professor at St. Marianna University of Medicine and Toru Yoshikawa, a senior researcher at the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, have been appointed as advisors to ensure the effectiveness of the measures.
Toshikazu Yamaguchi, president of The Yomiuri Shimbun Holdings and owner of the Yomiuri Giants, said: "Our first priority is preventing the virus from entering the facility, but even if it enters, we're implementing a three-step approach to prevent it from spreading. We will continue to implement the world's highest level of infection control measures."
In preparation for the start of the 2023 season, the size of the dome's large screen will be increased in stages. When completed, it will be one of the largest stadium displays in Japan, at about 3.6 times the size of the current screen.
Yamaguchi also said that spectator numbers for Giants games at Tokyo Dome will be limited to 5,000 for the time being.
According to government policy decided when the state of emergency was lifted in May, admission restrictions on professional sports and other activities were to be eased by Aug. 1, with stadium capacities of up to 50% permitted.
"The number of infections is increasing, especially in Tokyo. We had been aiming for about 19,000 spectators based on the government's guidelines, but we're not in a hurry to reach that number. We will start with 5,000, and if the situation permits, we hope to increase the number little by little," Yamaguchi said.
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