As the new coronavirus continues to spread in Japan, recovered patients, their families, co-workers and neighbors are facing stigma and discriminatory treatment, a recurrent theme seen in society when people have been faced with new health threats, such as leprosy and the effects of nuclear accidents.
A man in his 60s who was aboard the Diamond Princess, a cruise ship that was quarantined in February near Tokyo, heard rumors that he was "spreading the virus by walking around the neighborhood," upon returning to his home in Osaka Prefecture.
Although the man tested negative several times after disembarking in February, his family members were told to consult a health care center before visiting their family doctor.