The state of emergency declared by the government this week due to the rapidly expanding number of coronavirus infections in Tokyo and six other prefectures should cause us not to panic but take the situation seriously. Whether we can get the COVID-19 outbreak under control is up to the behavior of each and every one of us. The government, for its part, needs to ensure there is a safety net to protect the livelihood of people who suffer a lost job or income as the nation combats the pandemic.
Unlike the lockdowns being enforced in many major cities in countries experiencing much greater outbreaks, Japan’s state of emergency, which lasts through May 6, lacks penalties for not complying with government requests for people in the designated areas to stay at home except for essential or urgent tasks. Whether this step will effectively curb the growing outbreak depends a great deal on how each individual responds.
Citing experts, the government is asking people to cut back on interactions with others by at least 70 to 80 percent — a move that will hopefully lead to a peak in the infection rate followed by a decline within weeks. How quickly this can be achieved depends on our behavior.