Celebrities apologizing for catching COVID-19; patients hiding their infections for fear of being ostracized; so-called ¡°virus vigilantes¡± harassing potential spreaders of the sickness ¡ª such behavior has become all too common in pandemic-era Japan.
¡°It¡¯s not as frequent as it once was, but we¡¯ve received anonymous phone calls complaining about our alcohol service at night,¡± says Ryuji Suzuki, a 20-year-old university student who works part time at an izakaya (Japanese pub) in Tokyo¡¯s Bunkyo Ward.
The establishment has been among those that have defied the capital¡¯s requests to refrain from serving alcohol and shorten business hours during various states of emergency, including the current quasi-emergency slated to remain in effect until March 6.
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