On Thursday, a doctor in his 50s in Wakayama Prefecture tested positive for the coronavirus. Since then, eight other people in the prefecture, in addition to hospitalized patients, have been infected. It is a matter of concern that the Ministry of Health claims that it has not been able to determine the source of these transmissions.
The ministry says it has also been unable to identify the infection routes of a man in his 60s in Aichi Prefecture, a man in his 20s in Chiba Prefecture, and a man in the northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido.
Until recently, the government was able to easily identify the routes of transmission, as most of the inflamed ones were among those the government was returning from Wuhan, the city at the height of the outbreak, or among the passengers of the quarantined cruise ship it was sending docked near Tokyo.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe convened an assembly of epidemiologists at his workplace on Sunday. He said that the situation in the country is evolving “minute by minute” and under pressure they want to fight the epidemic from an epidemiological point of view.
Takaji Wakita, director of the National Institute of Infectious Diseases, said Japan is in the early stages of the outbreak and it is possible that cases will continue to spread.
Epidemiologists have agreed that other people deserve to seek medical attention if flu-like symptoms increase, adding fatigue, fever and shortness of breath. The committee added that it was very important to do so quickly, so that they could get treatment before their condition worsened.
The panel also agreed to identify rules to inspire vulnerable people, such as the elderly and people with chronic illnesses, to seek medical care even sooner.
The personal sector has begun to put its own measures into force.
Telecommunications giant NTT said it is urging its workers to work from home or adopt staggered schedules. The company also says it’s asking its employees to avoid in-person meetings and instead use video conferencing.
Yahoo Japan is also urging its workers to adopt staggered schedules.
A company in the tourist hub of Kyoto doesn’t want to take any chances. Software company connectFree has asked its painters to work completely from home, holding meetings with visitors online. For members who want to work in the office, the company has required the use of masks and hand washing. with an antiseptic.