Novel coronavirus infections are rapidly spreading again in Europe. The question now is whether the government will be able to prevent the spread of the infections and the collapse of medical services with a limited scope of regulations aimed at containing damage to the economy.
The number of new infections in Europe has reached the level of more than 100,000 a day, showing stronger momentum than that seen in spring. The spread is likely attributable to an increase in travel and contact during the summer vacation season, as well as an increase in the number of tests.
At present, young and middle-aged people account for a large proportion of infected people, and the number of deaths is much fewer than in spring. From now on, attention should be paid to the possibility that the disease will spread to the elderly, who tend to become more seriously ill.
Governments in Europe have become increasingly alarmed and are stepping up measures to deal with the crisis.
In France, where the increase in the number of people infected with the virus is particularly high, the government has, in principle, banned going out from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. in nine metropolitan areas, including Paris and its vicinity. French President Emmanuel Macron asked for understanding of the restrictions, saying, "We're in the second wave."
Britain has introduced a three-level alert system for the spread of infections, in which each region is separately assigned a level. London was designated as being at the middle of the three levels, with no one allowed to have contact indoors with anyone but family.
Germany has limited the number of participants to a maximum of 25 for celebratory occasions in areas where the infections are increasing, and will tighten the limit to 10 if the situation worsens.
What is common among the measures taken by each country in Europe is that they do not impose uniform restrictions throughout the country, but change the degree of restrictions depending on the region and time of day.
In early spring, many countries implemented lockdowns, imposing bans on going out and closure of stores nationwide. The adverse effects were large, with economies falling into negative growth and governments' fiscal spending increasing significantly, mainly due to compensation for idled workers.
This time, it is understandable that each government is working hard to narrow regulations and implement detailed measures so as not to put a brake on the recovery trend of the economy. A test will be whether they can earn the cooperation of the people as the Christmas holiday season is approaching.
There are many lessons Japan can learn from the current situation in Europe.
Cases of parties by young people giving rise to clusters of infections have become conspicuous, increasingly leading to the regulation of such parties. It also has been pointed out that the prolonged pandemic is exhausting people engaged in medical services.
Japan's drive to avoid the so-called 3Cs -- closed spaces, crowded places and close-contact settings -- should continue to be effective. The government must exchange information with European countries and utilize the results of those exchanges to strengthen measures.
-- The original Japanese article appeared in The Yomiuri Shimbun on Oct. 20, 2020.
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