Four associations in Japan involved in mountain activities have released a joint statement asking people to refrain from climbing until the threat of the coronavirus subsides.

The Japan Mountaineering and Sport Climbing Association, Japan Workers' Alpine Federation, Japanese Alpine Club and Japan Mountain Guides Association issued the appeal to climbers in a statement dated April 20, ahead of the Golden Week holidays which begin this year on April 29.

(People climb Mt. Fuji on July 10, 2019.)

The statement said that continuing mountain sports activities carries the risk of catching or spreading the virus, and that it is not ideal to leave the city to enjoy the fresher air of rural areas at a time when the nation is being urged to self-isolate.

"We can't have people getting involved in accidents in the mountains when the health service is in danger of collapsing because of the coronavirus," said Takashi Kawashima, a top official of the Japan Workers' Alpine Federation.