Photo: Pakutaso
national

Hyogo Prefecture to give 320,000 fans to restaurants for customers to cover mouths, dine 'safely'

58 Comments
By Scott Wilson, SoraNews24

The coronavirus pandemic has had a negative effect on many businesses, especially restaurants, since gathering in groups in tight quarters is exactly what we want to not be doing at the moment.

Some Japanese restaurants like Saizeriya have gotten creative and created special masks that allow customers to also eat, but their efficacy is debatable.

Recently though, the Hyogo prefectural government decided on a new strategy to try and open up businesses in a more safe way: by giving out Japanese fans to restaurants for customers to use while dining.

The goal of using the fans is for groups of customers to cover their mouths with them when talking to each other, preventing “splash” and the spread of the virus. Presumably the fans could also be held up while eating as well, as opposed to masks which have to come off when chewing.

Plans are to distribute 20 fans to each applicable restaurant in the capital city of Kobe, as well as three other cities, totaling 320,000 fans. Whether or not they will be cleaned between customers using them isn’t made clear, but hopefully that will be the case.

Toshizo Ido, the governor of Hyogo Prefecture, said that fans compared favorably to using masks because: “When you take off [a mask], the risk [of spread] goes up.”

Certainly that is an issue, but is using fans the solution? Japanese netizens overwhelmingly disapproved of the new measure:

“Sounds like they’re out of ideas.”

“I think they forgot about microdroplets that can get through the fans.”

“If you eat out with someone who’s infected, an uchiwa is not gonna help.”

“How was this even suggested, much less approved?”

“This has to be some shady government deal from Big Uchiwa.”

“They probably had a stockpile of fans they needed to get rid of.”

“Do you really need to eat out with others that badly?”

The last netizens hit the nail on the head. While some mouth protection is arguably better than nothing, the best course of action is still not going out if possible. Using a fan to eat with friends and coworkers at a crowded restaurant is about as good idea as heading out in large crowds to temples to pray for a return to normal.

Source: NHK via My Game News Flash

Read more stories from SoraNews24.

-- To entice customers, Japanese restaurant Saizeriya creates mask you can wear while eating【Video】

-- Japanese restaurant from the Edo Period forced to close due to coronavirus pandemic

-- Huge crowds go to Japanese temples on New Year to “pray for things to return to normal”

© SoraNews24

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.

58 Comments
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Based on what I’ve seen going on around the world the last year or so, it’s clear what everyone has been missing is paper fans to cover their mouths while in public. This will undoubtedly keep people safe and we can all rest assured that the COVID situation is one step closer to ending in Japan due to this thoughtful govern’mental’ strategy.

20 ( +23 / -3 )

Wait! These fans are missing the “2020 Olympics Logo”!! Yes, it doesn’t say “Tokyo” because ALL of Japan is paying for it.

9 ( +9 / -0 )

You each get ‘a paper fan’. - Nice way to have ‘spent that budget’ before the close of the fiscal year, Hyogo! Bring on the next ‘stash of cash’ from the taxpayers.

10 ( +10 / -0 )

slide your mask on between bites and sips. It’s literally THAT easy.

-1 ( +5 / -6 )

Is this a joke? What a waste of my money, and ineffective at stopping the spread of the virus.

18 ( +19 / -1 )

The writer did a job of showing the innovative(?) thinking of Hyogo Gov Toshizo Izo, yet ends with his own slighting glance’ at Japanese culture. From the article:

*- “Using a fan to eat at a crowded restaurant is about as good idea as heading out in large crowds to temples to pray for a return to normal.” -*

Will “Japanese netizens overwhelmingly disapprove” ?

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

Is this a joke? What a waste of my money, and ineffective at stopping the spread of the virus.

welcome to Japan

14 ( +15 / -1 )

could export them, to: simultaneously save the world from C19 and any and all variations, jump-start the Japanese economy, and promote Japanese culture.... genius!

2 ( +4 / -2 )

Hyogo. Yes.

Eat out. Yes.

Fan. No.

Girl in the pic. Yes.

-3 ( +5 / -8 )

Yep, that’s the solution. Problem solved, pandemic, what pandemic!

I sometimes despair at the crass idiocy displayed by elected representatives (a problem not restricted to Japan) not to mention the utter contempt displayed towards squandering public monies.

11 ( +11 / -0 )

This is getting more ridiculous by the day.

13 ( +13 / -0 )

An idea. How about giving everyone a shot? I do not want one, however it's just an idea.

-4 ( +1 / -5 )

Morons! People will fan themselves and spread the virus, this is doing the opposite!

Literally you need to tell people NOT to use a fan as it is suppose to be used.

10 ( +10 / -0 )

"Here. Use this to fan your germs around."

gEniOuS

9 ( +9 / -0 )

so COVID-19 is allergic to fans and goes to bed by 8pm. The more you know

10 ( +10 / -0 )

More farcical spending. The Hyogo prefectural government was home to the famous crying politician Ryutaro Nonomura, and if I were a voter, that was enough attention for a lifetime.

5 ( +6 / -1 )

A "fan" is all they have to offer???

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Cough, sneeze, spray food & saliva on the fan, Then, waive it back & forth to circulate the air as the warmer weather increases. (There’s a reason ALL electric hand-dryers have been turned off.) - Well thought out, indeed.

13 ( +13 / -0 )

Peak stupid continues to out-peak itself.

Does someone at the Hyogo prefectural assembly have a relative with a fan-making business?

11 ( +12 / -1 )

Looks really effective. Yet, it’s not at all like the cute, fashionable uchiwa featured with the beautiful, blue-eyed, redhead accompanying the article. The Hyogo Governor valiantly demonstrates it himself. You be the judge!

https://www.mbs.jp/news/kansainews/20210410/GE00037769.shtml

PS. It’s not made where you would think it’s made.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Say bye bye to Hyogo Mayor come this July he is out of there. no one in their right mind would vote for him after this.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

I wonder how many unnecessary trees have to be cut down for this.

More people should realize it's not the planet we need to save, it's ourselves.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Someone has a friend in the fan business.

9 ( +9 / -0 )

I must say, the term "Big Uchiwa" made me smile.

5 ( +6 / -1 )

If people, particularly men, chewed with their moths closed and didn't talk while chewing there would be no need for this.

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

This is a page out of Monty Python like many things associated with governments and the virus all over the world. But there is one reason perfectly valid reason for this nonsense, at least to the select few making big money from it, which is sure to include those deciding on it. How quickly we have forgotten the Abe masks, which was an even far bigger rort.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Feels good. Much be effective. いいよ

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Well...I guess we were all wrong when we ridiculed the 'Abe-mask'. Lol

3 ( +3 / -0 )

When I read the headline I thought it was a joke. Countries that have taken covid seriously have banned indoor dinning.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

With that picture, I thought it was an ad for a Kabakura place

1 ( +1 / -0 )

That beautiful but bare of logic ‘idea’ is even less debatable than those Saizeria masks....rofl

0 ( +0 / -0 )

They might do better if all of the "touch points" were cleaned and sterilised all of the time, maintaines social distancing, or even better stay at home to stop any cross infection chances, these sort of wishy washy pathetic measures are an excuse to carry on regardless, when will Japans general public and goverment come to understand how deadly this virus is?

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Ah Japan. The land of opportunity and adventure.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

An alternative title to this article - "How to waste money and resource"

1 ( +1 / -0 )

@zichi

Who cares he will be out soon enough

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Some Japanese restaurants like Saizeriya have gotten creative

Calling Saizeriya a restaurant is like calling MaDonalds a restaurant. They are fast food microwave joints with tables inside.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

"The last netizens hit the nail on the head. While some mouth protection is arguably better than nothing, the best course of action is still not going out if possible. "

and how about the workers and their families????

1 ( +1 / -0 )

First the Abe-no-mask, now the Ido-no-fan...what next?

3 ( +3 / -0 )

This is one of the most idiotic things I've ever heard....I'm embarrassed for the Hyogo government and its people (myself included) for having such idiots as leaders...

2 ( +2 / -0 )

I smell a touch of corruption here... who benefits ... connection with Fan maker ?

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Another silly idea.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Yes, the virus will run away when it see the flower design on the fan. Smart virus, clever goverment!

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Another group of incompetent bureaucrate that do not understand the most simple basics of a virus and transmission.

More wasted money, why not use the money for all the stupid ideas the various governments have come up with and implement a system to pay businesses and their employees to remain closed for a reasonable amount of time until the government gets it's act together and gets enough people vaccinated so these businesses can reopen safely.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Antiquesaving

gets it's act together and gets enough people vaccinated so these businesses can reopen safely.

Business can reopen now. Just protect the small group of vulnerable people, recommend some basic safety measures, and otherwise stop making life miserable for the rest of the population!

There is NO correlation between the virus figures and the radicalness of government policy. Look around the world.

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

@zichi

I don't agree the governor of Hyogo is well liked. Toshizō Ido (井戸 敏三, Ido Toshizō, born 10 August 1945) governor of Hyōgo Prefecture, since 2001.

Yes like a grandfather who with this obvious blunder seems to have reached senility Born 1945 time to retire or be voted out many people I know have voiced the same opinion.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

For a moment I thought it was Ikko in the photo...lol

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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