A temporary housing facility initially meant to hold police officers in charge of security at the Tokyo Games may instead be used for people infected with the new coronavirus, The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned.
The facility was scheduled to be completed in June, but the government is considering having it quickly reworked so patients suffering mild symptoms of the virus can be isolated there, according to sources. The aim is to support the Tokyo metropolitan government's efforts to prepare for a surge in infections in the capital.
The temporary housing facility is a two-story prefabricated structure being built on land owned by a private company in the Harumi district of Tokyo. It was meant to be a lodging facility for about 8,000 police officers from all over the country assigned to provide security in such locations as venues related to the Games and nearby roads.
As the Games have been postponed for a year amid the coronavirus pandemic, however, the building can be applied to another purpose. The government is considering such renovations as changing the structure of its partitions so that thousands of patients can be quarantined in rooms and proper medical care be provided. The facility is only expected to accommodate people with mild or no symptoms.
"We are currently making preparations for the worst-case scenario, considering our options in the event of an increase in the number of infected people in Tokyo," Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said during a meeting of the Audit Committee at a House of Councillors on April 1.
"We are examining whether the building for police accommodation can be used," Abe said.
In response to the outbreak, the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry has established guidelines on the premise that infected patients exhibiting mild or no symptoms should recuperate in their homes or in lodging facilities such as hotels. The guidelines are aimed at preventing a shortage of hospital beds for seriously ill patients.
The ministry has informed each prefectural government of the guidelines. They also state that any place that houses patients with minor or no symptoms must have a nurse or public health worker stationed there during the day, and require that doctors must be able to quickly reach the facility.
Talks are now underway between the central and Tokyo municipal governments on specific operating procedures for the Games facility.
A total of 773 people had been infected with the new coronavirus in Tokyo as of April 3, however, the number of available hospital beds in the capital remains at 750.
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