Elementary and junior high schools’ sports days are changing amid the COVID-19 pandemic, as teachers and students are struggling to hold the event while practicing social distancing and sanitizing.

In mid-September, the time when many schools hold athletic events, Takehara Elementary School in Gero, Gifu Prefecture, held a half-day sports day, instead of the usual full-day event.

Shortly before 8:30 a.m. on the day, students’ family members started coming into the school and submitted health check cards with their health conditions and body temperatures for the past five days written down.