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Japan's specialist cleaners find new purpose and demand in pandemic

31 Oct 2020 8:17 AM | IJCSA - (Administrator)

Trepidation soon gave way to excitement when Toru Koremura, president of a Tokyo-based cleaning company, took up the challenge of disinfecting the Diamond Princess — a cruise ship quarantined in the port of Yokohama that made global headlines earlier this year as a “petri dish” for the COVID-19 virus.

The 38-year-old cleaning specialist admits part of him was scared to delve into what was then considered one of the world’s biggest COVID-19 hotspots.

Ryosuke Otake (right) and Kohei Mizoguchi, founders of cleaning company Unisons in Yokohama, say they hope the growing public appreciation of their profession amid the pandemic will contribute toward reducing lonely deaths among older people. | TOMOHIRO OSAKI

But in the end, what overcame his fear was the thought of what he and others tasked with decontaminating the vessel might be able to achieve: ridding the world of the notion that Japan was the source of the outbreak.

“With all eyes on the Diamond Princess, I remember that there was this narrative back then that Japan was somehow where the virus was originating — I saw media reports saying Japanese people were being discriminated against overseas and treated as if they were virus spreaders,” said Koremura, head of cleaning firm Riskbenefit Co., in a recent interview.

At the time, the world was also increasingly doubtful that the nation would be able to host the Summer Olympics.

More at source: Japan Times

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