Coronavirus: Idol group to charge non-masked fans premium at events

TOKYO (TR) – An idol group will charge fans not wearing breathing masks an additional fee to participate in events, the group said on Twitter on Monday.

Non-masked fans attending events for 2o Love to Sweet Bullet will be required to pay an additional fee of 1,000 yen for photographs with members of the group, an effort to assist in the fight of the coronavirus.

The initiative is a different approach by the industry in handling the virus. Girl group AKB48 has postponed meet-and greet “handshake” events. Meanwhile, boy band Arashi canceled a concert in Beijing. Further, the media franchise The Idolmaster cancelled a cruise.

The photo sessions for 2o Love members take place during the sales of merchandise. There is no mention in the tweet about the wearing of masks by fans during live performances.

On February 15, the four-member group, which debuted in 2015, distributed 50 masks at the event “Girl’s Bomb !!”

As of Tuesday, the government of Japan had confirmed more than 850 coronavirus infections, the majority of which came from the Diamond Princess cruise ship that arrived at Yokohama Port on February 3.