Japan’s Amusement Parks Warn Coaster Riders: Screaming Can Spread COVID-19

Japan’s amusement parks may not be as amusing as they used to be.

Currently many of the country’s parks are open or reopening in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.

However, park officials are hoping to minimize the possible spread of COVID-19 by asking customers not to scream while on rides, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The edict is based on health studies that suggest actions such as coughing and screaming will spread the disease.

Back in March, a person attending choir practice in Skagit County, Washington, managed to infect 52 others, two of whom died.

College student Rika Matsuura thinks the new no-scream rule will be hard to enforce at places like Tokyo Disneyland, even though masks will be required.

“There’s just no way not to scream,” she told The Wall Street Journal. “It’s kind of torture to be back at your favorite place in the world and to not be able to scream and enjoy everything 100%.”

In order to give customers guidance on how to avoid screaming, the Fuji-Q Highland park in Fujiyoshida made a video showing two top executives sitting stone-faced on a coaster zipping around at 80 miles an hour. See the video below:

“We received complaints that the theme park association’s request to not make loud noises was impossible and too strict. That’s why we decided to release the video,” a Fuji-Q spokesman said.

The video ends with the line (written in Japanese), “Please scream inside your heart” ― an instruction Twitter users found, well, amusing: