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TOKYO (Reuters) - The emergence of Japan’s coldest city as a COVID-19 hotspot has raised fears among health experts that it could be a sign of what the rest of the nation may face as winter sets in and more people stay indoors, raising airborne transmission risks.
FILE PHOTO: Passersby wearing protective masks walk on a snow-covered street in Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan, February 26, 2020. REUTERS/Issei Kato
The city of Asahikawa, about 140 km (87 miles) north of Sapporo on the northern island of Hokkaido, is reeling from infection clusters at two hospitals and a care home. By Sunday, the number of cases recorded on the island was more than 10,000, and Asahikawa had accounted for 16% of the 256 deaths.