Photo: Kiyoshi Ota/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Tokyo Disneyland

Japan’s Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea are temporarily closing their doors due to theCOVID-19 coronaviruspandemic.

Guests who have already purchased admission for those dates are encouraged to exchange them for tickets that can be used until March 31, 2021, the statement said. The exchange can be made free of charge.

The closure announcement comes weeks afterShanghai Disneylandtemporarily ceased operations “in response to the prevention and control of the disease outbreak” and “in order to ensure the health and safety of our guests and cast.”

Kiyoshi Ota/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Tokyo Disneyland

On Thursday, Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe publicly urged the country’s elementary, middle and high schools toshut downuntil late March, which is near the end of the school year.

The move — which hopes to squash the further spread of the novel coronavirus — will affect about 34,847 schools across the country, barring some 12.8 million students from classrooms, according to the Associated Press.

“This is to prioritize the health and safety of the children and take precautions to avoid the risk of possible large-scale infections for many children and teachers who gather and spend hours together every day,” said Abe, per the AP.

According toThe New York Times, there have been about 186 cases of novel coronavirus reported in Japan, with a total of four deaths. A cruise ship docked in Yokohama, Japan, has also accounted for over 700 cases and four deaths.

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Tokyo is set to host the2020 Olympicslater this summer, though the international sporting eventmay be called offshould the number of novel coronavirus cases around the world continue to rise, a member of the International Olympic Committee said this week.

Coronavirus is a blanket term for several respiratory illnesses, ranging from the common cold to more severe viruses such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).Symptomstypically include fever, cough, trouble breathing, headache and sore throat.

As of Feb. 27, there have been 82,132 reported cases of the coronavirus around the world, according to theEuropean Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.

source: people.com