Japan’s Narita Airport recently made a unique arrangement for passengers. The airport authorities have prepared an impromptu hotel of cardboard beds and quilts in its baggage-claim area for passengers. The arrangement has been made for international passengers arriving from abroad who require staying at the airport while awaiting the results of tests for the COVID-19 virus.
Although the airport has closed one of its runways due to a reduction in flight schedules, carriers continue to arrive with passengers who were stranded abroad including countries majorly hit by the coronavirus pandemic such as the United States and Italy. Such passengers required to undergo tests for the virus before they can head to their respective homes.
With the influx of passengers and rise in the number of testing results might sometimes be delayed though they mostly arrive as quickly as six hours. Passengers coming from abroad are restricted to avail any kind of public transportation. Therefore, individuals who have nobody to pick them up are bound to wait at the airport. Therefore, the cardboard beds have been readied for times when nearby accommodation facilities currently being used to house passengers are full.
The beds are made of heavy-duty cardboard developed for use in evacuation centers during disasters and any similar crisis which requires when temporary bedding system. The beddings also come with a mattress and a quilt. According to reports, the beds have not yet been in use as facilities near the airport for people to stay are available for now. However, the arrangement can serve as a great backup option in a critical time of need.
Last week, Japan already declared a state of emergency in major population centers to fight the spread of the coronavirus.
Tags: Coronavirus, japan, Narita airport
