The Japan News by The Yomiuri Shimbun
Barbecues remain popular despite infection warnings
OSAKA — People flocked to parks and downtown areas in Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto and Hyogo prefectures on Saturday, a day before the declaration of a third state of emergency.
Parks were crowded with people having barbecues despite the risk of novel coronavirus infections.
In the Yodogawa Riverside Park in Yodogawa Ward, Osaka, groups of people were seen enjoying barbecues.
A 30-year-old man from Nishi Ward in the city was partying and drinking with his colleagues and others. “We can avoid a crowded situation here rather than drinking at home. So I guess it’s safe outside,” he said.
Visitors to the park are encouraged to wear masks, but there was a group of people chatting and laughing after they took off their masks in the course of eating and drinking.
However, a simulation conducted by the Fugaku supercomputer has verified the risk of infection among people without masks in a barbecue scenario. When a participant spoke loudly, a person standing in front of the speaker a meter away was exposed to one-tenth of the total airborne droplets, according to the experiment.
There have been a spate of cases across the nation in which barbecue participants were infected with the virus.
Facilities where people can have barbecues are not subject to the closure request unless they serve alcohol. The Yodogawa Riverside Park has prohibited barbecuing on its premises from Sunday, but an official in charge of park management said it would be difficult to patrol the entire riverside.
A barbecue facility in Hyogo Prefecture plans to continue to operate during the state of emergency.
“Some people may bring alcohol with them to the facility, but we can’t ban it,” said an official in charge.
Each local government is urging people not to drink in groups on the streets and in parks. Unlike indoor restaurants and other establishments, open-air areas are not closed environments, but they still tend to encourage people to huddle near one another. When drinking alcohol, people are more likely to speak loudly, increasing the risk of infection through airborne droplets. (April 26)