Ichiro Matsui, the mayor of Osaka, was asked by a male reporter during a press briefing about the possibility of reducing the number of shoppers at supermarkets in order to lower the risk of spreading the novel coronavirus, according to a report by Reuters.
“When a woman goes…it will take time. If it was you, if you were told to get this or that, then you would go directly… and go home,” Matsui said to the male reporter.
According to a report by CNN, Matsui further elaborated on these comments: “Women take a longer time grocery shopping because they browse through different products and weigh out which option is best. Men quickly grab what they’re told to buy so they won’t linger at the supermarket. That avoids close contact with others.”
Matsui also suggested a measure that would assign a day for shopping to residents based on their birth month. Those born on odd-numbered months would be assigned different days than those born on even-numbered months, according to a report by Kyodo News, a Tokyo based news agency. The mayor said this would prevent congestion in supermarkets.
Japan has 12,368 confirmed cases of COVID-19, the illness caused by the novel coronavirus, and 328 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said at a press briefing Tuesday that he wants citizens to “refrain from going outside” so as to not overwhelm the health care system.
“The total cumulative number of patients has already reached 10,000. Medical systems are being severely stretched. I call upon each citizen to refrain from going outside, for the sake of reducing the burdens of health care workers as much as possible, and for the sake of protecting your own health and life,” Abe said.
The prime minister, who extended a state-of-emergency declaration from select provinces to the whole country on April 16, also asked Japanese citizens to reduce the contact they have with other people by 70 or 80 percent.
“Since last week, we have expanded the state of emergency nationwide. Literally all prefectures are extending cooperation to this endeavor. Nevertheless, I heard that there were considerable flows of people from Tokyo to other regions last weekend. As the Golden Week holiday period is arriving soon, I ask people to refrain from traveling to other regions, even if it is just among family members. Taking any trips increases risks of the spread of infections throughout the country,” Abe said.
The state-of-emergency declaration expires May 6, but could be extended.
