It is important to establish an international coordination system to overcome the spread of the infectious disease.
The leaders of the Group of Seven industrialized countries held a meeting via teleconference on the new coronavirus. The G7 issued a statement acknowledging the coronavirus pandemic as a global health crisis and confirming close cooperation among the seven countries.
The infection first spread in China and after the beginning of the year spread to other countries such as South Korea and Japan. This month, G7 countries as a whole finally began dealing with the issue following an increase in the number of patients in Europe and the United States. It is undeniable that the G7's response has been lagging on this issue.
The G7 should deal with the problem with a sense of urgency to prevent the spread of the infection worldwide.
What is important for the time being is to slow the spread of the infection in Europe and prepare measures to prevent infected patients from becoming seriously ill.
The infection situation is serious in Italy, where more than 2,000 people have died. Medical personnel also continue to be infected. The Italian government must deploy doctors and nurses appropriately and reinforce intensive care facilities as soon as possible.
Border management measures are also important. Austria is among the countries that have restricted entry from Italy, and Germany adopted measures to, in essence, close its borders with countries such as France.
The European Union has promoted the freedom of movement for people through the Schengen Agreement that abolished border checks. It is apparently unavoidable for the governments to thoroughly implement border controls to strengthen the epidemic prevention system.
It is important to take measures while making efforts to obtain the understanding of other countries to prevent unnecessary confusion from arising. The EU should play a coordinating role.
China must disclose info
The G7 statement included its support for joint research on treatments and the development and manufacture of a vaccine. In cooperation with the World Health Organization, it is important for each country, including developing ones, to strengthen measures against the virus.
China's contribution is indispensable in clarifying the actual situation and establishing a way to cure the infection since China has accumulated a vast number of infection cases. It is necessary for China to disclose sufficient information to researchers and doctors around the world.
As for the source of the virus, the Chinese government claims that its origin is not necessarily limited to China. The U.S. government protested when a deputy director general of the Chinese Foreign Ministry's Department of Information raised a conspiracy theory involving the United States.
It is unseemly to see great powers criticizing each other when a common enemy is before them. Both governments are urged to recognize the gravity of their responsibilities and focus on measures against the infectious disease.
The G7 leaders agreed to use all policy tools to safeguard against downside risks for the world economy. It is necessary for each government to launch monetary and fiscal policies in a flexible manner, while keeping an eye on economic trends.
It is essential to take a long-term approach with a protracted struggle in mind.
-- The original Japanese article appeared in The Yomiuri Shimbun on March 18, 2020.
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
