A Japanese island has been struck by a second wave of coronavirus after having lifted its lockdown. The northern region of Hokkaido lifted its lockdown on March 19 so that businesses and schools could reopen.
This came as the result of the number of new cases falling to one or two per day. Now though, only 26 days later, the island has re-enforced its lockdown as 135 new cases were reported in one week (Sam Baker, 2020)
Hokkaido Governor Naomichi Suzuki (right) reinstalled a state of emergency on the island following a second wave of coronavirus. Credit Image: JIJI Press / AFP via Getty Image
According to daily.co.uk, the region at first was lauded for quickly containing the outbreak with a three-week lockdown, but when prefectural governor Naomichi Suzuki lifted the restrictions, a second wave of infections slammed the island even harder.
“Now I regret it, we should not have lifted the first state of emergency,” Dr. Kiyoshi Nagase, chairman of the Hokkaido Medical Association, who helped coordinate the government response, told the outlet.
The local government had assessed the impact immigration would have on the spread of coronavirus on the island but had not taken into account domestic migration.
Sapporo Subway Station in Hokkaido Prefecture. Credit Image: Reuters
Yoko Tsukamoto, a professor of infection control at the Health Sciences University of Hokkaido said that with hindsight, the lockdown lift was too early.
'At the time, we didn't have enough information and we did not have an adequate understanding of this disease.
Japan has so far confirmed about 15,000 coronavirus cases, including about 700 from the ill-fated Diamond Princess cruise ship quarantined near Tokyo in February, Kyodo News reported Thursday.
About 470 deaths have been reported.
The Tokyo metropolitan government confirmed 46 new infections Thursday, according to the report.
The country is considering extending its nationwide state of emergency until the end of May to help contain the spread of the virus, government sources told the outlet Thursday.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is expected to seek opinions from a panel of experts Friday before coming to a decision.
Apart from that, according to Amanda Woods (2020) thru New York Post, the island’s story serves as a wake-up call for leaders of other nations — including the US — as they consider loosening restrictions, Kazuto Suzuki, vice dean of international politics at Hokkaido University, told Time.
“Hokkaido shows, for example, that what’s happening in the US with individual governors opening up is very dangerous; of course you can’t close interstate traffic but you need to put controls in place,” he said. “That’s what we now know: Even if you control the first wave, you can’t relax.”
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Sources:
Amanda Woods (2020), Japanese island hit by second wave of coronavirus after ending lockdown early. Retrieved from: https://nypost.com/2020/04/30/hokkaido-hit-by-second-wave-of-coronavirus-after-ending-lockdown-early/
Kyodo News (2020), Japan mulls 1-month extension to state of emergency over coronavirus. Retrieved from: https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2020/04/ad7df14851f6-japan-mulls-1-month-extension-to-state-of-emergency-over-coronavirus.html
Sam Baker (2020), Japanese island is hit by a second wave of coronavirus after ending three-week lockdown when cases fell to single digits - as infections soar to 135 in a week. Retrieved from: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8270245/Japanese-island-hit-second-wave-coronavirus-ending-lockdown-early.html
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