In pics | Why are Japanese libraries sterilising books with ultraviolet light?
A ultraviolet sterilising machine cleaning library books, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, at Narimasu library in Itabashi district in Tokyo, Japan, December 9, 2020
Bookworms - do not fear the virus! Or so libraries in Japan want you to believe. In hopes of reviving interest in reading, Japanese libraries are sanitising books using ultraviolet light. This, according to them, will assure visitors of taking out books during the pandemic.
Japanese libraries are installing the machine one by one. And it takes the machine only 30 seconds to sterilise a book. Additionally, it rummages through pages to get rid of dust.
In Itabashi, which lies north of Tokyo, the Narimasu Library had the machine installed since 2018. However, it is now being used thrice as much, as the pandemic rages on! The machine can be accessed by readers easily. However, using the machine isn’t compulsory.
Besides being the virus killer, the machine also brings in curious readers who want to see their favourite books getting sterilised. Many people who visit the library are elderly and fall in the high risk group, which is why the libraries find it imperative to protect the population susceptible to extreme effects of COVID-19.
77-year-old Yasuhito Kobayashi told Reuters that he feels relieved at the sight of sterilisation, but is unsure of its efficacy. “I’m not sure if it's actually effective," he said.
Japan has not been hit by COVID-19 as hard as other countries, and has managed to keep its count on the low. But now, the country is witnessing another wave. Till now, the country has logged 167,330 cases and 2,458 deaths.
(Images by Reuters)