During recent indoor concerts for Japanese idol group AKB48, attendees were sprayed with “Virus Buster Water” as a precaution against covid-19.
AKB48's management tweeted out footage of the “disinfection gate” contraption in a now-deleted tweet with a voice-over saying how the Virus Buster Water was to make a safe environment for fans. The Virus Buster Water website mentions its collaboration with the pop group, in particular mentioning that the disinfection gate is a covid-19 preventive measure so that AKB48 fans can have peace of mind even during a pandemic.
However, as My Game News Flash reports, after the tweet went up, some in the medical community pointed out that the virus is spread by exhaled respiratory particles, viruses are different from germs, and this sort of sterilization does not prevent the airborne aerosol spread of covid-19. Further criticism was that doctors should have been consulted regarding measures like this.
Currently, Tokyo is under a state of emergency order due to covid-19. The packed concerts were held at the Pia Arena MM in Yokohama in Kanagawa, which is currently under a quasi-state of emergency.