TOKYO – The COVID-19 pandemic arrived in Japan by boat in February, a foreshadowing omen for a world that had not yet faced the impending disaster.
The virus ran through a luxury cruise ship named Diamond Princess after returning to its home port near Tokyo. Passengers were sentenced to 14 days in prison, some of whom complained that they were being held in “a floating prison”. Of 3,711 people on board, 712 were infected and 12 died.
Although Japanese health officials were accused of manipulating the ship, the country has withstood the pandemic well, so far it has been saved from the dangerous rises seen in the United States and Europe. By mid-December, Japan had reported 138 cases per 100,000 population.
However, daily cases exceed 2,500 cases, causing renewed fears that things will get worse.
Experts say the widespread use of masks has been the key to reducing the burden of cases in Japan. The country has some other advantages: people naturally bow instead of exchanging handshakes or kisses, and throwing their shoes at home. Public health care is affordable.
Authorities have installed a strong infection tracking system and the public has answered calls to avoid the “three C’s”: close distance, enclosed space and close conversation.
“Eat quietly with a mask,” the Cabinet Office says on its website; a cartoon shows four people (maximum size recommended for the party), eating with masks.
Another key: Japan has kept its borders closed to about 150 countries since March and has only recently facilitated rules on business travel between some less infected Asian countries, including Vietnam, South Korea and Singapore.
Under a seven-week state of emergency until the end of May, Japan pushed its citizens to stay home and maintain social distancing and called on companies to remain closed, but there was never a blockade. carry. Many people defied appeals and traveled on busy trains and dined at restaurants that remained open.
Patients, many of them elderly, with hospital beds and full medical systems, were on the verge of collapsing amid a shortage of protective equipment, but infections were reduced in May and the former prime minister Shinzo Abe proudly called it (asterisk) the “successful” Japanese model.
Harassment and discrimination against patients, health professionals and their families has persisted, however, and fear of ostracism has caused those infected to avoid seeking medial care.
The use of masks, widely accepted in Japan to protect against the flu, pollen allergies and others even before the pandemic began, is a common practice on public transportation, in stores, at work or school. And the government has just launched a new awareness campaign on masks for the upcoming holidays.
As elsewhere, infections have gradually increased recently as the Japanese government tries to prevent the disease and at the same time prevent further damage to the economy. Experts say the balance is now off and business activity should be reduced to prevent explosive infections.
Fears of another, and possibly worse, rise in criticism, have sparked criticism from experts, opposition lawmakers and the public that Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s government has been too slow to suspend its GoTo campaign, which seeks to support suffering companies by offering discounts for travel and food to restaurants. . Suga announced the suspension of GoTo incentives only in the hardest hit areas on November 21st.
The increase in cases also calls into question plans to hold the Olympics next July. Any plans will have to be confirmed from December.
Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura said officials are on “maximum alert” and pledged to do their utmost to prevent another state of emergency. He reiterated the importance of wearing masks and avoiding parties where people drink.
“There is no doubt that masks reduce the amount of virus that enters (the bodies), but we should not overestimate their effectiveness,” said University of Tokyo virologist Yoshihiro Kawaoka.