Although Japan understood earlier than many Western countries that the virus was more likely to spread through droplets in the air, and warned residents to avoid crowded, unventilated conditions, it wasn’t enough to change individual behavior as the restrictions were lifted. While people have continued to wear masks throughout the pandemic, the current infections have largely occurred in situations where face coverings aren’t typically worn, like group dining and drinking events.
Unlike New Zealand, Japan never spoke of eliminating the pathogen. Experts tried to encourage a “new way of living” and spoke of an era in which people lived with the virus. But the messaging from central and regional governments was mixed, with local officials in Tokyo warning against travel even as the national government encouraged it, and both sides bickering over who was to blame.
The national government continues to argue that the situation this time is different. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga reiterated Friday that another state of emergency isn’t required. The death rate in Japan remains low by almost any standards, and the medical system isn’t over-burdened -- a key factor public health officials use to judge success of virus containment. The country has fewer than 100 people in critical care due to Covid-19.
But treatment won’t bring the current spread to a halt.
“Hospitals can treat the infected,” said Koji Wada, a public health professor at the International University of Health and Welfare in Tokyo. “But only the government, through public health measures, can reduce the number of infected people.”
When Shigeru Omi, the head of the current panel of experts advising the government, told officials to delay the domestic tourism push, he was ignored. The “Go To Travel” campaign then turned into a public relations nightmare, as Japan’s rural residents grew angry over the potential of infections being brought to the countryside by city-dwellers. Eventually, Tokyo was excluded from the campaign in a last-minute about-face.
‘Last Chance’
What impact the tourism campaign had on spreading the virus won’t be known for weeks. Experts are now more concerned over the upcoming traditional Obon holiday period in mid-August, when many young Japanese return home to pay respect to the dead and spend time with often-elderly relatives.
In a sign that the situation can no longer be ignored, local officials are starting to backtrack on economic re-opening. Osaka has asked people to refrain from dining in groups of five or more. In Tokyo, restaurants, bars and karaoke shops have been asked to shorten operating hours. Governor Yuriko Koike has threatened to declare another state of emergency for the capital. Okinawa has already done so.
“The central government hasn’t shown clear guidance and a clear strategy on what to do about Covid-19, and is pushing the responsibility to the local government,” said Haruka Sakamoto, a public health researcher at the University of Tokyo. “In ordinary times, the government is very centralized, and usually prefectures don’t have strong opinions.”
Some think the steps don’t go far enough. Haruo Ozaki, the head of the Tokyo Medical Association, called on Thursday for the government to revise legislation so it can legally force businesses to close.
“This is our last chance to mitigate the spread of infection,” he said.
--With assistance from Chloe Whiteaker.
This article was provided by Bloomberg News.