Japan's powerful business lobby Keidanren said Tuesday it is lifting the ban it introduced on the use of hand dryers in restrooms in offices and production sites, after concluding the risk of spreading the coronavirus from their use is negligible.
The update to the guidelines for more than 1,400 member companies came after Keidanren, also known as the Japan Business Federation, took into account expert opinions and the results of experiments. But Keidanren is calling for hand dryers to be disinfected with alcohol and kept clean.
Japan has lifted the second state of emergency declared in January for urban areas hit by surging coronavirus cases. However, crowded centers such as Osaka and Tokyo are now placed under a quasi-state of emergency to rein in infections.
Based on multiple experiments and simulations, the risk of infection from water drops and microdroplets in the air after handwashing is "extremely low" even when hand dryers are used, according to Keidanren.
The change applies to offices and factories but could also spread to other industries such as the restaurant sector that use Keidanren's guidelines as a reference.
Keidanren decided to restrict the use of hand dryers in May last year based on discussions by a government panel of medical experts. In December, the organization sought to ease the rules on hand dryers as they are used in many countries amid the pandemic, but failed to get the go-ahead from experts.
"We have confirmed that hand dryers do not spread infections. We need to take steps based on evidence, rather than accepting certain views without questioning," a Keidanren official said.
The World Health Organization is advising people to wash their hands with soap and water and dry them with paper towels or a warm air dryer.
