From a viewing deck at the Toyosu fish market early Monday, 18 visitors selected through a lottery system watched dealers participate in the bidding.
The market decided to slash the maximum number of spectators from 120 to 27 per day for the event, as the Japanese capital reported more than 100 new daily infections for the 13th straight day. Visitors are required to wear face masks, have their temperatures taken and provide their contact details. "I didn't think we would be able to watch the auctions up this close. It was a valuable experience,” a woman from Tokyo who visited the site with her two sons told Kyodo News.
Public viewings of tuna auctions, which are popular especially among overseas tourists, had been suspended since late February due to the coronavirus outbreak.As of Sunday, Japan has more than 102,600 known coronavirus cases and about 1,780 deaths. - dpa