The spread of the new coronavirus in Japan "has not progressed to the point of explosive outbreak and [Japan is] holding up to a certain extent," a government panel of experts on the infections said Monday.
The panel will publish its analysis of the effectiveness of measures in Hokkaido, where the infection has spread, around March 19. Considering this, the government plans to ask the public to refrain from major events until around that date.
Takaji Wakita, head of the National Institute of Infectious Diseases, chaired the panel. Although the number of patients in Japan is on the rise, the panel said that in some cases, collaboration between the central and local governments and others has led to the detection of small clusters of patients at a relatively early stage. But the panel said people cannot relax their vigilance because all paths of infection have not been clearly ascertained.
"For the next one to two weeks we are on the brink of rapid expansion or convergence," the panel said on Feb. 24, two weeks ago. They added that, in the long run, there is still a risk of repeated outbreaks of the disease if it is brought in to the country from abroad, even if there is an end to domestic outbreaks.
At a press conference, a member of the panel said: "The new coronavirus does not disappear when it gets warm. We have to keep fighting."
According to previous analyses, the three conditions common to confirmed outbreaks were closed spaces with poor ventilation, large gatherings, and people speaking to each other in close proximity. Based on this analysis, the panel called on citizens to anticipate places and situations where these conditions could exist at the same time and avoid them.
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