COVID-19 cluster found at sushi restaurant at Dubai Expo’s Japan Pavilion

The Japan Pavilion at Dubai Expo 2020, which officials have said will remain open despite the outbreak. (AFP/File Photo)
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  • Sushiro opened its first restaurant in the Middle East to promote Japanese food culture at the Dubai Expo

TOKYO: Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry announced on the 21st that 10 employees of the Japanese Sushi restaurant ‘Sushiro,’ attached to the Dubai Expo’s Japan Pavilion, found to be infected with the new coronavirus.

It is believed that a cluster of infected people has occurred in the facility that will be closed until safety is confirmed, Asahi Newspaper reported.

The pavilion will continue to open as usual, the ministry said.

Sushiro opened its first restaurant in the Middle East to promote Japanese food culture at the Dubai Expo. The chef and customer service staff were also handled by Japanese, and it became so popular that people had to wait for more than an hour every day to enter the restaurant.  

Anyone who shows a negative PCR or vaccination certificate within 72 hours can enter the Expo. The total number of visitors reached 5.6 million as of Dec. 6, they announced. 

Recently, the organizers canceled some of the events and increased PCR testing opportunities for employees working at the venue, thus increasing vigilance over the spread of the new Omicron strain. 

According to the UAE Health Ministry, the number of new infections per day in the UAE has been less than 100 since the opening of the Expo in October, but it rose again after the first Omicron strain was confirmed on Dec. 1.

On Tuesday, 452 new infections were confirmed, Asahi reported.

* This article was originally published on Arab News Japan.