Doctor who saved Japan once faces new coronavirus fight without lockdowns

Hitoshi Oshitani’s ‘Three Cs’ approach – avoiding closed spaces, crowded places and close contact situations – helped Japan avoid a widespread outbreak

Amid a resurgence, Oshitani fears it will become harder to influence behaviour in the winter, as Japan has no ability to enforce restrictions

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Hitoshi Oshitani, a virologist and infectious disease specialist. Photo: Bloomberg

Published: 5:00pm, 20 Nov 2020Updated: 5:00pm, 20 Nov 2020

Having mocked him at first for his theories on how the coronavirus spread, the world came to recognise the effectiveness of Japanese scientist Hitoshi Oshitani’s “Three Cs” approach to the pandemic: avoiding closed spaces, crowded places and close contact situations where the virus thrives.

It is a strategy that has helped Japan avoid thousands of deaths without a lockdown – but one that is now being challenged with infections rapidly escalating as cold weather sets in. Oshitani fears the nation may not be ready.

“People’s concern is decreasing,” said Oshitani, a virologist and infectious disease specialist. “We may see a sudden increase in severe cases and deaths.”

As early as March, Hitoshi Oshitani concentrated on tracking down clusters of infections and ensuring people avoided the Three Cs. Photo: Bloomberg

Oshitani has become a global ambassador of the “Japan Model” thanks to his prescient insight into how the virus was transmitted.

While most public health experts focused on handwashing and surface transmission, and other countries debated over wearing masks, as early as March Oshitani concentrated on tracking down clusters of infections and ensuring people avoided the Three Cs.