By Tetsu Miyata

Vending machines dispensing free, cold bottled water were set up on Aug. 24 at all 14 public elementary and junior high schools in this eastern Japan city as part of efforts by the local government to avoid children developing heatstroke or getting infected with the coronavirus.

The free water will be available until the end of September. According to the city government's board of education, school children do bring their own water bottles to keep hydrated, but due to the heat many have emptied them by the time school ends. Due to concerns that the coronavirus could be spread by many people touching taps to refill their water bottles using the school's water supply, the city government started considering other ways to distribute water.

Vending machines were reportedly decided on to eliminate the need for large refrigerators, and they create little additional work for teachers distributing water to students.

Each school has between one and three vending machines, and they offer cold water in bottles of 550 or 280 milliliters. The drinks inside can be dispensed simply by pressing a button, no money is required. All student at these schools are able to get at least one bottle per day, and the cost of the project is around 15.15 million yen (about $142, 304).

Aug. 24 was the first day back at the city's elementary and junior high schools after summer vacation. At Yawara Elementary School, class representatives get up after lunch, and take the bottled water for each student in their class from the vending machine. Then they bring them back to their classroom.

One 9-year-old student in the fourth grade, who went to collect the water from one of the vending machines, smiled and told the Mainichi Shimbun, "Now we can drink cool water even when it's hot, so it seems like school will be fun. In the future, the school will allow each student to get a bottle from the vending machines instead of having some selected students collect bottles for their classes.

Read the original story here.