With plastic sheets, Japan's convenience stores target social distancing
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2-3 minutes
Plastic
curtains at checkout counters to prevent infections between customers
and the store employees amid the spread of the coronavirus disease
(COVID-19) at a Seven-Eleven convenience store in Tokyo, Japan April 13,
2020. REUTERS/Issei Kato
TOKYO
(Reuters) - Some of Japan’s ubiquitous convenience stores have taken a
novel approach to social distancing by hanging plastic sheets from the
ceiling to provide a barrier between customers and staff at the cash
register during the coronavirus pandemic.
Prime Minister Shinzo
Abe declared a state of emergency in Tokyo and six other prefectures
last week in response to the coronavirus outbreak. While many businesses
in Tokyo and elsewhere are now shut, most convenience stores have
stayed open as they are considered essential.
There are around
58,000 convenience stores throughout Japan. Most are open 24 hours and
sell everything from pre-made bento lunches to beer and neckties. They
also offer package delivery and bill payment services.
“I
actually feel safer,” said 53-year-old restaurant owner Isao Otsuka, who
was shopping at one of the roughly 150 7-Eleven stores, mainly in
Tokyo, that have installed the transparent plastic curtains.
7-Eleven’s
owner, Seven & i Holdings, has asked convenience store workers to
wear masks, check their temperatures, wash their hands frequently and
sterilise surfaces.
The new coronavirus spreads from person to
person through small droplets from the nose or mouth via coughing or
sneezing, according to the World Health Organization. Scientists have
also said the virus can remain infectious in droplets in the air for
hours and on surfaces for days.
Japan had recorded 7,411 cases of
infection and 138 deaths from the virus as of Monday, public
broadcaster NHK said, with more than 2,000 cases in Tokyo, a sharp rise
from late March.
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