AICHI (TR) – A video has emerged that shows a man in his 50s doing karaoke at one of two bars in Gamagori City he visited last week after being confirmed as infected with the novel coronavirus.
According to an article appearing in weekly tabloid Shukan Bunshun (Mar. 19), the man, who lives in Gamagori, visited the second bar, a Philippine pub, at just past 6:00 p.m. on March 4.
“It was right after we opened,” the owner tells the tabloid. “At first, he was drinking very quietly. Then he did a songs by [Japanese bands] Hound Dog and Carol on the karaoke machine, with his voice echoing throughout the place.”
Just before, medical personnel had sent the man home after he was confirmed to be infected with the novel coronavirus, which causes a disease known as COVID-19.
He was to remain at home until an appropriate medical institution was found for treatment. However, he decided to take a taxi to an izakaya bar.
Before departing, he reportedly told a family member, “I am going to spread the virus.” Afterward, he left the izakaya on foot for the aforementioned Philippine pub, which is hostess-type establishment staffed with women.
His right arm around the shoulders of a hostess
In the video, which was taken from security camera footage, the man, attired in a gray long-sleeve shirt, is seen receiving an oshibori, or hot towel, upon taking a seat on a sofa.
After thoroughly cleaning his hands, he sings Hound Dog’s “J no Ballad.” He is then shown putting his right arm around the shoulders of a hostess and pulling her close.
After taking a drag on a cigarette, he does “Futari Dake” by Carol. While he sings, they hold hands, with her at one point wiping the fingers on his right hand with the towel.
It was around this time that an acquaintance of the man warned the pub about his intention “to spread the virus.” An alarmed staff member approached the man, who confirmed, “I tested positive [for the coronavirus].”
The clip shows him putting on an orange jacket. He then stands up and says, “I’m leaving.”
The staff member then alerted the police and a local health center. Officers from the Gamagori Police Station, dressed in protective suits, arrived at the bar only to find that the man had already returned home by taxi.
“This is nothing but terrorism”
“That same day, the staff from the health center rushed in and sterilized the pub and the surrounding area, but we will be closed for a while,” the owner says.
The man, who showed no symptoms of the disease at the time of the visits to the establishments, was tested since both of his parents, with whom he lives, had been confirmed with the virus.
On March 5, the man was sent to a medical institution. The owner, however, is far from satisfied. “Employees had their livelihood snatched away. This is nothing but terrorism,” the owner says. “I want him to be severely punished.”
