Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has issued a declaration of a state of emergency to respond to the spread of infections with the new coronavirus. All of society must cooperate to protect the medical system.
The declaration, based on the revised law on special measures against new strains of influenza, covers seven prefectures including Tokyo and Osaka over a period through May 6.
In these areas, the number of patients has been rising rapidly, and there are many cases for which their infection routes cannot be identified. If this trend continues, there may be a flood of patients at medical institutions, which then may be unable to provide seriously ill patients with appropriate treatment. Taking a bold course with the declaration seems to be evidence of genuine concern.
"As ensuring people's lives and health are top priorities, we are taking measures to prevent the spread of infections," the prime minister said.
Before issuing the declaration, the prime minister heard comments from experts at an advisory committee and reported the declaration to the Diet in advance. It is safe to say that Abe carefully went through procedures.
Under the law, governors of the subject areas are allowed to adopt various measures to prevent infections.
Tokyo and the prefectural governments subject to the declaration are calling for thorough self-restraint in going out, among other requests.
Although the Tokyo metropolitan government has considered a plan to request a wide range of industries, including department stores and Japanese-style pubs, to shut down temporarily, adjustments continue as the central government showed its disapproval, according to sources.
In order to avoid taking excessive measures, the central and metropolitan governments should sufficiently exchange views.
It is important to note that enforcement measures such as a lockdown of a city or a ban on going out are not envisaged. The main objective is to prevent the spread of infections through the understanding and cooperation of residents and others.
The central and prefectural governments must apply the law appropriately and be wary of excessive responses.
The government has revised its basic policies to deal with the situation, selecting infrastructure for daily life such as electricity, financial institutions and transportation systems including railways to continue their operations. The media, including newspapers and television networks, are also stipulated.
It is essential to maintain social and economic functions such as public transportation. Avoid any obstacles coming into the way of the activities of medical service workers, distributors and news organizations.
The declaration of a state of emergency could cause such problems as hoarding by residents driven by anxiety. The nation must avoid a situation in which false rumors and misunderstandings spread and society is thrown into confusion.
It is crucial for the central and prefectural governments to make efforts to provide accurate and prompt information. They are also called on to take all possible measures to ensure a stable supply of food and other goods in cooperation with relevant industries.
Residents, for their part, are urged to respond calmly. If they avoid occasions where the three conditions of closed spaces, crowded places and close-contact settings overlap, there is no problem with them shopping for food and taking a daily walk, among other activities.
Preventing infections with the virus protects ourselves and the people around us, and eventually helps protect society. It is hoped that every single person is aware of this point and acts with restraint.
Companies also need to step up efforts to prevent the infections. The risk of infection during commuting is particularly high. Staggering working hours and expanding the use of telework are likely to become options.
If many people travel to regional areas or return to their hometowns from Tokyo and Osaka, the infections could spread to other parts of the country. It is desirable to avoid nonessential and nonurgent movement over a wide area as much as possible.
Fully equip the medical system with utmost haste while efforts are made to slow the pace of the spread of infections.
After the declaration, relevant governors can more easily set up temporary medical facilities. If the number of infected patients surges, there would be more cases in which regular hospitals have to accept them.
It is important for each prefectural government to maintain local medical care services by determining the roles for hospitals in their areas.
The emergency economic stimulus package drawn up by the central government is the nation's largest at a scale of 108 trillion yen. It is appropriate to take bold measures to deal with the crisis.
It is crucial to quickly spread the benefits of the measures to struggling households and small and midsize companies.
The central government plans to provide 300,000 yen in cash to low-income households that have suffered a loss of income. Local government offices in charge are expected to be flooded with applications for the aid. To prevent confusion, it is an urgent task to increase preparedness for handling the applications. It is hoped that procedures will be simplified to ensure smooth payments.
The government intends to provide up to 2 million yen in cash to small and midsize companies and sole proprietors. It also plans to expand employment adjustment subsidies to companies that put their employees on leave without laying them off. It is necessary to drastically reduce the number of documents needed to apply for the subsidies and improve the usability of the system.
The lineup of measures is diverse and extremely complicated. The government should make efforts to explain to the public in a plain manner what systems are available for what cases, in order to allow these systems to be used effectively.
-- The original Japanese article appeared in The Yomiuri Shimbun on April 8, 2020.
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
