Coronavirus: Hokkaido ends state of emergency, schools to reopen as epidemic gets ‘under control’ in Japan
- Panel of experts advises authorities to reopen schools and allow regions with few coronavirus cases to hold sporting events
- Meanwhile, an infectious disease official has credited Japan’s ‘sheep mentality’ as one factor that has helped to keep the nation’s fatalities low
An expert panel guiding Japan’s coronavirus response recommended late on Thursday that schools in some regions could be reopened but that large gatherings and enclosed areas that could reignite the contagion should still be avoided.
The infectious disease experts made no reference to the Tokyo Olympics, expected to start from July 24 but which have been cast into doubt by the coronavirus pandemic and the cancellation of sporting events and qualifiers around the world.
The panel recommended that areas of Japan with low numbers of coronavirus cases can consider resuming classes and sporting events, and said that the increase in cases appeared to be slightly decreasing. The schools have been closed since early March.
Shigeru Omi, a panel member and president of the Japan Community Healthcare Organisation, said that in areas with little sign of the virus, reopening schools and gradually returning to normal activities could be considered, though strict vigilance was needed.
“We are insisting on very strict criteria if organisers decide to hold big-scale events,” Omi told a late-night news conference that spilled into Friday. “And if those criteria can’t be met, the event should be postponed or cancelled as soon as something doesn’t seem right.”