TOKYO – The COVID-19 pandemic came to Japan with a ship in February – a harbinger of a world that had not yet come to terms with the impending disaster.
The virus entered a luxury cruise ship called the Diamond Princess after returning to its home port near Tokyo. Passengers were given a 14-day quarantine, some of whom complained of 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 manipulating the ship’s handling, the country has withstood the pandemic well – it has been spared the dangerous waves seen so far in the US and Europe. By mid-December, Japan had reported 138 cases per 100,000 population.
However, the number of daily cases now exceeds 2,500, leading to renewed fears that things will get worse.
Experts say the widespread use of masks has been key to reducing the number of cases in Japan. The country has certain other advantages – people naturally bow instead of exchanging handshakes or kisses and take off their shoes at home. Public health care is accessible.
Authorities installed a strong infection tracking system, and the public paid attention to the calls to avoid the “three C’s” – close distance, closed space and close conversation.
“A quiet table with a mask,” says the Cabinet on its website; a cartoon shows four people – a maximum size recommended for the party – tables with masks.
Another key: Japan has kept its borders closed for about 150 countries since March and has only recently eased rules on business travel between several less infected Asian countries, including Vietnam, South Korea and Singapore.
In a seven-week state of emergency until the end of May, Japan pushed its citizens to stay home and maintain social distance and urged companies to remain closed, but there was never a strong blockade. Many people defied calls and commuted to crowded trains and dined at restaurants that remained open.
Patients, many of them elderly, filled hospital beds and medical systems were on the verge of collapsing amid the huge shortage of protective equipment, but infections dwindled in May and former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe proudly called him (asterisk) the Japanese model ”of success.
Bullying and discrimination against patients, health workers and their families persisted, however, and fear of ostracism often led those infected to avoid seeking medical care.
The use of masks, widely accepted in Japan for protection against influenza, pollen allergies and other purposes even before the pandemic begins, is a standard practice in public transportation, in stores, at work or at school. And the government has just launched a new mask awareness model for a upcoming holiday season.
As elsewhere, infections have gradually increased recently, while the Japanese government is trying to prevent the disease while avoiding further damage to the economy. Experts say that the balance is now deactivated and that commercial activity must be reduced to avoid explosive infections.
Fear of another, and perhaps more serious, rise has led to 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 businesses offering discounts for travel and food in restaurants. Suga announced a suspension of GoTo incentives only in severely affected areas on November 21.
The increase in the number of cases also calls into question the plans for the Olympics next July. Any plan will have to be confirmed starting in December.
Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura said officials were on “high alert” and pledged to do everything possible to prevent another state of 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 that enters (the bodies), but we should not overestimate their effectiveness,” said Yoshihiro Kawaoka, a virologist at the University of Tokyo.