Tokyo’s Bar Hosts to Get PCR Tests as Japan Tries to Quash Virus

(Bloomberg) -- Japan aims to regularly test workers in Tokyo’s sprawling nighttime entertainment district for coronavirus, as host clubs and other adult establishments continue to be blamed for the bulk of the infections since the city lifted its state of emergency two weeks ago.

Around 40% of the almost 150 infections in Tokyo in the first week of June came from such establishments, Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura said Sunday after a meeting with Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike on how to tackle the issue. Most of these businesses that are operating are doing so by defying a government request to remain closed under the capital’s three-step re-opening roadmap. Authorities lack the power to enforce such requests, however, and need businesses to comply voluntarily.

Hard-to-Trace Virus Cases Emerge from Japan’s Hostess Bars

The government will set up a system for workers to get PCR tests, especially if they feel ill or display symptoms of the virus, Nishimura said. A call center will also be established for such workers, with particular regard to privacy concerns to ensure any clusters can be tracked.

“The number of infections has increased, but that’s really a reflection of some of these businesses being cooperative” and responding to testing requests from local health centers, Nishimura said, calling for broader cooperation from the nighttime entertainment industry where authorities have tended to be hands-off.

Nishimura said that he’s working with Kenichi Yoshizumi, the mayor of Shinjuku, home to the city’s most well-known entertainment and red-light district, Kabukicho. He added he hopes to create a model that can be used in other districts in Tokyo and nationwide.

Cramped Venues

Tokyo had 13 new coronavirus cases on Monday. That marked an eighth straight day of double-digit infections, although typically numbers announced on Mondays are lower due to hospitals being closed at the weekend. Unlike Osaka, which has had multiple days of zero or near-zero cases, Tokyo has continued to report between five and a few dozen cases every day since the state of emergency was declared over on May 25.

The city has 276 coronavirus-related hospitalizations as of Monday, of which 26 are listed as serious cases. Sunday marked the first day in almost three months that no deaths from the disease were reported in the country.

Japan’s nighttime entertainment districts contain thousands of clubs, and their cramped venues, lack of windows and close contact between staff and customers make them ideal locations for the disease to spread. The districts typically span everything from casual bars, a more expensive host and hostess clubs where glamorously clad escorts entertain clients, to stores providing sexual services.

Tokyo’s Roadmap

Most such establishments are not supposed to be operating yet under the local government’s three-step re-opening roadmap. The city is currently on Step 2, which allows outlets such as gyms to re-open, and has not indicated when it could move to Step 3. Many businesses have responded to the request, even without the legal authority to enforce them.

Japan Virus Emergency Counts on Citizens to Lock Themselves Down

The limits of Japan’s ability to get cooperation from increasingly struggling businesses is starting to become apparent, with the Nikkei newspaper reporting that almost all pachinko parlors in the city are now operating, despite the roadmap calling for them to reopen in Step 3.

©2020 Bloomberg L.P.