Shiloh
Editor, Senior Moderator
Source: http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20081223TDY02306.htm
Train tests held over outbreak of flu strain
The Yomiuri Shimbun
The Construction and Transport Ministry's Policy Research Institute conducted tests Monday to verify the number of passengers a railway car can safely carry following the outbreak of a new influenza strain in the country.
According to a ministry official, the tests conducted at Tokyo Metro Co.'s Takenotsuka railway depot in Adachi Ward, Tokyo, were to establish a limit on the number of passengers that could commute during rush hour periods without exacerbating the spread of the disease. It was established that a minimum distance of one meter between passengers would be necessary to prevent airborne infection due to coughing or sneezing.
Based on these findings, the research institute calculated that rush hour carriages should be reduced to 20 percent capacity to maintain the requisite distance between commuters.
In order to verify the test results, about 20 institute staff donned masks and took part in tests that involved boarding, sitting down and alighting from the train while maintaining a distance of more than one meter from each other. Officials from the institute were thus able to confirm the maximum number of passengers per railway car and the time needed to get on and off the train.
The ministry is considering using residential surveys, among other methods, to determine the necessary number of trains that would be required in the event of an influenza outbreak, and whether or not to limit the number of passengers per train.
(Dec. 23, 2008)
Train tests held over outbreak of flu strain
The Yomiuri Shimbun
The Construction and Transport Ministry's Policy Research Institute conducted tests Monday to verify the number of passengers a railway car can safely carry following the outbreak of a new influenza strain in the country.
According to a ministry official, the tests conducted at Tokyo Metro Co.'s Takenotsuka railway depot in Adachi Ward, Tokyo, were to establish a limit on the number of passengers that could commute during rush hour periods without exacerbating the spread of the disease. It was established that a minimum distance of one meter between passengers would be necessary to prevent airborne infection due to coughing or sneezing.
Based on these findings, the research institute calculated that rush hour carriages should be reduced to 20 percent capacity to maintain the requisite distance between commuters.
In order to verify the test results, about 20 institute staff donned masks and took part in tests that involved boarding, sitting down and alighting from the train while maintaining a distance of more than one meter from each other. Officials from the institute were thus able to confirm the maximum number of passengers per railway car and the time needed to get on and off the train.
The ministry is considering using residential surveys, among other methods, to determine the necessary number of trains that would be required in the event of an influenza outbreak, and whether or not to limit the number of passengers per train.
(Dec. 23, 2008)
