Tokyo universities are struggling to prevent the spread of coronavirus on campus as cases surge in the capital, which recorded a daily-record 602 new infections on Thursday.
As universities gradually resume in-person classes on campus, some institutions have been implementing measures such as improving air ventilation systems and utilizing an app that warns users about confined spaces, crowded places and close-contact settings.
Since the fall semester, J. F. Oberlin University in Machida, Tokyo, has been asking students to check crowd levels on campus using the OBICON smartphone app, which was developed by the university.
According to J. F. Oberlin, the OBICON system collects location data from wireless radio beacons installed in classrooms that detect signals from smartphones running the app.
As well as providing information about the degree of crowding in cafeterias, common rooms and convenience stores, the app can also track students' attendance and their use of libraries, study rooms and other facilities.
Oberlin currently holds classes on campus and online. "The more in-person classes that are held, the more crucial the app will become. We want our students to make full use of the app," a university spokesperson said.
-- 500 million yen in donations
Waseda University, which has campuses in Shinjuku Ward and other areas, has also been holding online lectures in the fall semester. However, seminars, experiments and small-group discussions have gradually resumed on campus.
The university is planning to conduct in-person teaching for about 70% of its classes from next spring if the infection situation does not deteriorate.
All classes were held online in the spring semester, with Wi-Fi routers and computers loaned to students in financial difficulties.
During the summer vacation, the university spent over 300 million yen on an improved air conditioning system that was installed in all classrooms scheduled for use in the fall semester.
It also solicited urgent donations from Waseda alumni among others, collecting 500 million yen in three months from the end of April.
Meanwhile, Waseda has strictly prohibited its students from attending club training camps and parties where alcohol is likely to be consumed.
This month, the university posted a message on its website, warning that strict action would be taken against students who engage in such activities, as the university found that some of its students had attended parties and not revealed positive virus results.
-- Masked opera
During a recent opera class at the Kunitachi College of Music in Tachikawa, Tokyo, a transparent partition separated the students on stage and the lecturers and other students in the audience. All attendees wore masks.
The students appeared to be having difficulty hearing Keiichi Nakamura, a guest professor who has been teaching for about 25 years.
"I would usually be standing next to the students, taking them by the hand and teaching them step by step," Nakamura said. "It's difficult, but we must ensure there are no infections."
According to the university, the highest risk of infection is during opera classes as students sing in close proximity to each other.
Attendance is limited to 27 people in the 120-person capacity auditorium and students wipe the floor of the stage every 45 minutes.
A second-year graduate student said: "It was hard to sing with a mask on, but now I'm used to it. Singing in a class face-to-face is such a joy."
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
