I’m sorry sir, you have a highly contagious and deadly pathogen. Now get out of here you little scamp!

On 4 March, an unidentified man in his 50s went to the hospital in Gamagori City, Aichi Prefecture to be checked for the coronavirus because both of his parents whom he lives with were found to have been infected. Even though he was asymptomatic, medical staff informed him that the test results were positive.

However, what should have been a shining example of how to prevent the spread of COVID-19 quickly devolved into an episode of Bevis and Butthead.

Since the test results were confirmed in the evening, the hospital instructed the man to wait at home while they searched for a medical facility that could help him the following day. After leaving the hospital the infected man seemed to interpret “wait at home” as “wait at home after stopping by a couple public places where bodily fluids are easily transmitted” and went to various places such as an izakaya and Filipino bar that same evening.

According to some reports he even told others that he had tested positive at each establishment.

▼ “You think YOU had a bad day! Lemme tell ya what happened to me…”

After smacking his lips on tasty finger-foods and knocking back a few drinks, which in all likelihood resulted in him using the restroom and not properly washing his hands several times, the man finally went home. The next day he was sent to a proper treatment facility.

The names of the establishments were not disclosed, but they should be easy to find as the only ones closed down and sprayed by people in hazmat suits in this relatively small coastal city.

▼ “About 9 p.m. last night… It’s scary seeing this kind of stuff so close to home.”

City officials held a press conference –- ironically increasing the risk of contagion in doing so –- and apologized for underestimating the stupidity of people (I’m paraphrasing here).

The WHO is no doubt relieved to hear that they were sorry. Meanwhile, netizens felt that rather than the hospital and city, blame fell largely on this Typhoid Mary of the Gamagori bar scene.

“I could understand it if he were all alone or the only person providing for his family, but this…”
“Oh, this isn’t good.”
“I feel really bad for the restaurants.”
“And here everyone’s worried about all the students moving about…”
“Arrest him. He is a threat to the public.”
“People like this are inevitable unfortunately.”
“Couldn’t he have just gotten a drink at a convenience store instead?”
“Those places better sue him.”
“Release the names of the places he ate at! I can’t eat there ever again.”

It’s important to remember that the bars are the victims in all this and judging by eyewitnesses they are taking all precautions to disinfect their establishments, at a presumably hefty cost. Combined with the overall drop in people going out and recent hike in sales tax on eat-in diners, this is quickly becoming extremely hard times for restaurateurs big and small.

Source: FNN Prime, Breaking News Japan, My Game News Flash
Top image: Pakutaso
Insert image: Pakutaso
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