Tokyo reports 224 new coronavirus infections, a daily record for Japanese capital
- Many new cases are linked to entertainment district, including 12 women who work as hostesses in ‘maid cafes’
- Meanwhile, India reported nearly 25,000 new coronavirus infections and its transmission rate is increasing for the first time since March
The total surpassed the previous record of 206 recorded on April 17 when Tokyo and other major population centres were under a state of emergency. Nationwide, Japan has had more than 20,000 confirmed cases and 980 deaths so far.
Positive cases in Tokyo have ticked up in recent weeks as health authorities stepped up targeted testing among workers in the entertainment districts of Shinjuku and Ikebukuro. The new infections include 12 young women employed in two “maid cafes”, where young women dress as maids and serve guests, usually men, with drinks and meals and then sit with them for photos. None of the women have shown severe symptoms, the Mainichi newspaper reported.
“From everything that I see, young people either do not believe they are likely to get the virus or, if they do, that it will be relatively mild,” said Yoko Tsukamoto, a professor of infection control at the Health Sciences University of Hokkaido. “They do not realise – despite what the health authorities keep repeating - that they can have no symptoms and still spread the virus to their friends, to their parents and grandparents. And for those people, it is a far more serious problem.
“They don’t realise the risks of spreading the disease, but I also believe that they do not want to wear masks because it might put potential customers off entering a venue.”
Even before the latest figures, Yasutoshi Nishimura, the minister overseeing the government’s response to the pandemic, warned the situation was becoming more serious.