Infections with the new coronavirus have been spreading among young people in the 10 to 29 age group, particularly in urban areas.
Although the risk of young people developing serious symptoms is reckoned to be low, they may be unaware they have been infected and infect others who are likely to become seriously ill, such as elderly people.
At Kyoto Sangyo University in Kyoto, clusters of infections created by students who were unaware they were infected have emerged, causing chain reactions as the virus spread to as many as 11 prefectures.
Local governments are calling on young people to practice self-restraint. They now have the task of making young people more aware of the possible risk of catching the virus and infecting others.
"These students were making a contribution to our community. It is regrettable that things have turned out like this," a senior official of the town office of Ide, Kyoto Prefecture, which closed its main town hall to carry out disinfection work on Tuesday, said with a sigh.
The town, which has an agreement with the university on revitalizing the local community, held an exchange party for students and local residents on March 23. Afterward, one of the students and three town government officials who took part in the event tested positive. It is believed the officials are highly likely to have been infected by the student.
Three male students of this university, who took a post-graduation trip to Europe from March 2 to 13, tested positive between March 26 and 29. But before testing positive, they took part in get-togethers related to their seminars and social circles. One of these occasions, they took part in three parties in a day, including a karaoke party.
On Tuesday, a nurse in Toyama Prefecture was found to be infected with the virus. She had had a meal with a student of the university who had returned home to the prefecture. Clusters of infections have spread beyond Kyoto Prefecture, with the number of cases believed to be linked to the students totaling 39 across 11 prefectures, and 27 of those cases being the students themselves.
According to data collected by the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry, the number of people aged 10 to 29 who have tested positive for the virus totaled 226 as of Sunday, accounting for 12% of total cases. In urban areas, the percentage of infected young people runs higher. Local government data shows that as of March 30, young people in this age group accounted for 19% of the total in Osaka Prefecture, 32% in Kyoto Prefecture and 13% in Tokyo.
A number of those people are also suspected to have been infected abroad. According to the health ministry, as of Monday, among 51 people who tested positive in quarantine inspections at airports upon entering the country, 23 were between 10 and 29, representing 45% of the total.
At a press conference on Monday, Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike requested that middle-aged and elderly people refrain from going to nightclubs and bars, and called on young people not to go to karaoke venues and live music clubs for the time being.
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