Panel Gives Proposals On Voluntary Event Bans
A Japanese government panel of experts has given proposals on nationwide voluntary cancelations and postponements of events to help contain the spread of the new coronavirus.
The panel compiled the proposals on Thursday. It was headed by the director-general of the National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Takaji Wakita.
The panel said Japan has kept the virus outbreak under control to a certain extent. But they warned that if areas with a sustained increase in patients with unclear routes of infection spread across the nation, it could lead to a massive epidemic with an explosive rise in infections.
The panel stressed the need to tailor responses to the situation in each area.
The panel said authorities in areas where infections are on the rise should weigh the need to declare a state of emergency and to request voluntary cancelations and postponements of events across the board.
The panel said authorities in areas where infections are beginning to be contained can consider gradually allowing activities with a low risk of infection.
The panel said authorities in areas with no confirmed cases can allow events with a low risk of infection to be resumed, such as school activities, watching outdoor sports, and events in cultural facilities.
The government will use the proposals to guide it in deciding how to handle its request to temporarily close schools and to cancel or postpone large-scale events.
