TOKYO – The COVID-19 pandemic came to Japan by ship in February – an ominous harbinger for a world that had not yet mastered the coming disaster.
The virus sped through a luxury cruise ship called the Diamond Princess after it returned to its home port near Tokyo. A 14-day quarantine was imposed on the passengers, some of whom complained that they were being held in “a floating prison”. Of the 3,711 people on board, 712 were infected and 12 died.
Although Japanese health officials have been accused of screwing up the ship’s treatment, the country has weathered the pandemic well – it has been spared the dangerous spikes seen in the US and Europe so far. By mid-December, Japan had reported 138 cases per 100,000 residents.
Still, there are now more than 2,500 daily cases, sparking fears that things will get worse.
Experts say the widespread use of masks has been key to reducing caseload in Japan. The country has a number of other advantages: people naturally bend instead of exchanging handshakes or kisses, and kick off their shoes at home. Public health care is affordable.
Authorities have put in place a strong infection detection system and the public has responded to calls to avoid the “three Cs” – short distance, closed space and close conversations.
“A quiet dinner with a mask”, says the Cabinet Office on its website; a cartoon depicts four people – a recommended maximum group size – dining with masks on.
Another key: Japan has kept its borders closed to about 150 countries since March and has only recently relaxed the rules for business travel between a few less infected Asian countries, including Vietnam, South Korea and Singapore.
Under a seven-week state of emergency until the end of May, Japan forced its citizens to stay at home and maintain a social distance and asked businesses to remain closed, but there was never a hard lockdown. Many people defied the calls and shuttled in overcrowded trains and dined in eateries that remained open.
Patients, many of them elderly, filled hospital beds and medical systems were on the verge of collapse amid a dire shortage of protective equipment, but infections abated in May and former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe proudly called it (asterisk) the Japanese model. ” of success.
However, bullying and discrimination against the sick, health workers and their families is persistent, and fear of exclusion has often led to those infected not seeking medical care.
The use of masks, widely accepted in Japan for protection against flu, pollen allergies and other purposes even before the pandemic started, is standard practice in public transportation, shops, work or school. And the government has just launched a new awareness campaign for the upcoming holidays.
As elsewhere, infections have been gradually increasing in recent times as the Japanese government tries to prevent the disease while avoiding further damage to the economy. Experts say the balance is now off and business activity should be reduced to avoid explosive infections.
Fears of another, and possibly worse, wave have sparked criticism from pundits, opposition lawmakers and the public that Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s government was too slow to suspend its GoTo campaign, which aims to support ailing businesses by Offer discounts for travel and dining in restaurants. . Suga announced a suspension of GoTo incentives in hard-hit areas only on Nov. 21.
The increase in the number of cases also raises questions about plans to hold the Olympics next July. Any plan must be strengthened from December.
Economic Affairs Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura said officials are “maximally alert” and pledged to do everything to prevent a new emergency. He reiterated the importance of using masks and avoiding parties where people drink.
“There is no doubt that masks reduce the amount of virus entering (the bodies), but we should not overestimate their effectiveness,” said University of Tokyo virologist Yoshihiro Kawaoka.