Free COVID test sites to be set up at transportation hubs in Aug.

The Yomiuri Shimbun

12:27 JST, July 25, 2022

The government will run free coronavirus testing centers at about 100 locations across the nation between Aug. 5 and 18, which includes the Bon summer holiday period when many people will be traveling.

The temporary testing centers will be set up at major transportation hubs, such as JR Tokyo Station and Haneda Airport, among other locations.

About 13,000 free testing sites across the nation have already been set up by prefectural governments and are being operated by contracted companies. The temporary sites will add to the places where people can easily get tested during their travel. The government hopes that young people and families with children will get tested before meeting their elderly family members during the Bon holiday so that infections will not spread among older people.

In Kagawa Prefecture, a center that can conduct testing for 600 people per day will be set up at JR Takamatsu Station. It will be one of the largest centers in the prefecture.

“Please confirm that your test result is negative before enjoying your travel,” said a prefectural government official.