Tokyo, April 20: Tens of thousands of tulips in full bloom were razed at a Japanese park to prevent crowds from gathering. The flowers were the centerpiece of a popular annual festival in Sakura city, east of Tokyo, that was canceled this year.
People still gathered to admire the flowers, however, making social distancing difficult. Coronavirus in Japan: First Casualty In Country as Person Infected With COVID-19 Dies.
“We, of course, wish for many people to see our flowers, but this situation is now about human life. It was a heart-wrenching decision, but we had to do it,” Takahiro Kogo, a city official overseeing the park, said.