Teachers and education officials are calling for students to pay special heed to the risk of heat exhaustion this summer as schools across Japan shorten their summer holidays and hold more classes than usual to make up for closures caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Temperatures have risen rapidly in recent days, prompting the government on Thursday to issue an alert for heat exhaustion covering Tokyo and two surrounding prefectures — the first since the launch of a new system in July.

In June, the education ministry instructed prefectural education boards to take measures to avoid heat-related incidents during school days in August, including recommending students carry water bottles on their way to and from school.

Officials of the Okayama Prefectural Board of Education called for schools in the prefecture to be flexible in their responses to the coronavirus.