Coronavirus: how masks, hand-washing helped Japan prevent heavy death tolls

Name: Japanese pub installed disinfectant-spraying machine to keep diners safe
Uploaded: 2020-05-28T03:22:03.000Z
Duration: 2 min 33 s
Description: Japanese pub installed disinfectant-spraying machine to keep diners safe

Face-coverings have long been part of everyday life in Japan but they will not be enough for the country to maintain its record on containing the virus

As the country inches toward resuming activities, it needs to stamp out clusters faster than ever to fend off a second wave of infections

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A woman wearing a face mask visits the Chinatown area in Yokohama, Japan. Photo: AFP

Bloomberg

Published: 11:22am, 28 May 2020Updated: 12:55pm, 28 May 2020

Mask-wearing – anathema to many in the US – is one reason why Japan has avoided the heavy coronavirus death tolls seen in many parts of the world, according to the government’s expert panel on the pandemic.

While face-coverings have sparked angry confrontations in some parts of the world, and were initially dismissed as ineffective by the World Health Organisation, they have long been part of everyday life in Japan. But they will not be enough for the country to maintain its strong record on containing the virus.

As of Wednesday, Japan had confirmed more than 16,000 infections and about 850 deaths from the virus, by far the lowest figures among the Group of Seven major economies. In a reminder that the crisis is far from over, an uptick in cases in the southwestern city of Kitakyushu this week sparked enough concern for the government to send a team to investigate, public broadcaster NHK said.

Even as the nation inches toward resuming activities, experts need to stamp out clusters faster than ever to fend off a more serious second wave of infections, according to written responses provided to Bloomberg by the panel. That means a combination of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and antigen testing, and urging people to avoid risky situations.

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Japanese pub installed disinfectant-spraying machine to keep diners safe

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe ended the national state of emergency on Monday, as cases tailed off. He laid out plans for a gradual resumption of economic and social activities, in tandem with precautions against another major outbreak.