One email arrived at the reporter's smartphone during the interview.



The sender is a nursery school where the eldest daughter of 4 years old attends.



Oh, have you finally come ...

You don't have to look at the contents anymore.


However, I don't want to open the email because it seems that I can point out the reality.



When I took a big sigh twice or three times and looked at the smartphone screen, it said:



"Our officials have been found to be positive by the new coronavirus test."


"We will be temporarily closed tomorrow."

With the unprecedented spread of Omicron strains, there are a number of facilities nationwide that have had to take these steps.

Closed parks are increasing nationwide due to the spread of infection

According to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare's compilation of reports from all over the country, the number of nursery schools and children's institutes that were completely closed due to infection of children and staff in the facility has risen to 86 in 14 prefectures as of this month. I am.

As of the previous week (January 6th), there were 7 places that were completely closed, more than 12 times in one week.

Since the end of October last year, it has been less than 10 locations, but last week it has increased to the same level as last September, which was in the middle of the fifth wave, and the influence of the spread of infection is spreading.

Some places are closed due to "children's infection"

Since the 9th of this month, infections have occurred one after another in one of the three classes at a nursery school in Taito-ku, Tokyo, where about 90 people aged 3 to 6 attend.

So far, 6 children have been infected in this class, and 7 in the whole garden.


At the nursery school, we consulted with the health center when an infected person appeared, and the nursery school was closed from the 17th to the 19th.

Until now, all children were asked to wear masks, and the school lunch time was divided by using transparent boards, and hands were washed and toys were thoroughly disinfected to prevent infection.



According to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government's report on municipalities in the 23 wards of Tokyo, as of the 18th, 39 nursery schools and other nursery schools were closed due to the effects of the new coronavirus, and 25 were partially closed.



Masaaki Endoh, the president of the social welfare corporation that runs this nursery school, said, "It was difficult for nursery teachers to take thorough measures against infection while paying each other. I think it is a social mission to continue to open the nursery school. I'm sorry that the park was closed. In the future, with the cooperation of parents, I would like to think about new measures and overcome Corona. "

Some nursery centers where staff cannot go to work as "close contacts"

Even if the garden is open, there are some places where the staff are facing strict operations, such as being unable to commute due to close contact.



The nursery school in Yachiyo City, Chiba Prefecture has 6 classes and is attended by more than 130 children.

Twenty-six childcare workers are working, but one of them has been unable to go to work since last week when an infected person appeared in his family and became a close contact.

Since the beginning of this week, some staff members have reported that their children have a fever.

At the garden, I asked this staff member to refrain from commuting because I needed to be careful this time.



If multiple staff members cannot go to work, the children may not be able to see them, so it is necessary to take difficult measures such as reviewing the staffing by checking the attendance status of the children on the day.



Depending on the situation and time of day, we are also taking measures such as making one of the two gardens unavailable and narrowing the range of children's activities.



Jun Maruyama, director of Daini Katsuta Nursery School, said, "I'm getting more nervous every day. As long as I open the garden, the amount of work will not change, but the number of staff is less than usual, so it feels like walking a tightrope every day. That's it. "