Despite some early worries, Japan has so far managed to keep the COVID-19 outbreak relatively well contained in their country. It certainly could spike, but I’m hopeful that their efforts to reduce social interaction, and to quarantine people with the virus have paid off. To help reinforce their message, the country now has a quarantine mascot, and his name is Quaran.

FORTH, Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare created the mascot to help remind people that they need to follow quarantine rules, and to promote awareness of their Quarantine Information Office. The adorable yellow egg with wings and a cat tail wears protective goggles and carries a triangular shield as symbols of his protective work. Naturally, he wears a “Q” on his head as a reminder of his name.

Quaran, a winged fairy with goggles and a Q on its head, is the quarantine mascot for airports in Japan. pic.twitter.com/vjhcBwBXTQ

— Mondo Mascots (@mondomascots) January 3, 2020

The mascot was actually created before the novel coronavirus outbreak took the world by storm, but now Quaran is working overtime to get the message out to people as a reminder to avoid crowds and practice social distancing whenever possible.

[via TimeOut Tokyo] (Thanks Francesco!)