Japan Covid-19 serious cases reach a new high
Noriko Watanabe and Lee Jay Walker
Modern Tokyo Times
The number of serious coronavirus (Covid-19) cases in Japan reached a new high today. This is following on from recent fresh infection highs in several parts of the nation. Therefore, the national government and local governments hit hard need to focus on new measures.
However, the slow response to the current increase in new coronavirus infections would point to an over-emphasis on the economic angle. Hence, issues related to encouraging people to travel and eat out at restaurants really needs a complete reset. If not, then infections will spiral out of control.
The new high of 376 serious coronavirus cases might not appear enormous given the size of Japan’s population. Yet, it is a sign that the fight against coronavirus is going in the wrong direction. Thus a fresh approach is needed that supports companies and workers during this difficult period.
NHK reports, “Tokyo Governor Koike Yuriko said infections must be stopped from spreading any further while also minimizing the impact on economic and social activities. She said Tokyo citizens, business operators and administrators must come together to focus on infection-prevention measures during this short period.”
However, the above seems rather shallow given the longevity of coronavirus in Tokyo. Equally, new highs in Tokyo threaten the neighboring prefectures of Chiba, Kanagawa, and Saitama. Indeed, travel to and from Tokyo is bound to have increased the coronavirus crisis to other parts of Japan.
Also, if reports are accurate, Japan is still ill-prepared when it comes to hospital beds if the crisis spreads further. This is rather surprising given the longevity of coronavirus in Japan.
Hence, it all points to the surreal reality of coronavirus in this country. This relates to packed trains during rush hour and encouraging internal tourism. Therefore, the nation seems ill-prepared for a serious outbreak of growing infections and appears to be sleepwalking.
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/backstories/1399/
https://stopcovid19.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/en/ – Tokyo Metropolitan Government website for updates about the coronavirus crisis in Tokyo.
https://toyokeizai.net/sp/visual/tko/covid19/en.html – Japan and Tokyo Covid-19 news with more analysis
https://covid19japan.com/ – Japan regional coronavirus statistics
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/ World coronavirus statistics
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