Photo/Illutration An electronic sign in Tokyo’s Shibuya Ward on April 7 displays a request for people to refrain from going out in the capital. (The Asahi Shimbun)

A viral outbreak turns schools into emergency hospitals. The government imposes a nighttime curfew. Anyone who becomes sick is required to hang a piece of white cloth on the front door of their home.

These are some memorable scenes from “Outbreak,” a U.S. movie starring Dustin Hoffman.

I re-watched this 25-year-old work, having heard sci-fi flicks dealing with viral infections are in demand at bookstores and libraries and on video streaming services.

With fears of novel coronavirus infections growing, there appear to be more people wanting to revel in the pleasurable dream of seeing a terrible virus being vanquished.

In “Epidemic” (Die Epidemie), a Japanese novel by Hiroto Kawabata, the government locks down a community with a viral infection cluster.

The book was written in 2007, but expressions that have become too familiar to us today, such as “noko sesshoku” (close contact) and “fuyo fukyu” (non-essential), appear frequently.

Humanity is on the verge of extinction in “Fukkatsu no Hi” (Virus), a 1980 movie adapted from a post-apocalyptic sci-fi novel by Sakyo Komatsu.

Japan is under martial law, and city streets are overrun by the military.

An overworked and exhausted nurse gazes up at the sky and laments, “How long is this going to go on?”

Ultimately, 836 individuals from 11 nations barely remain, surviving in Antarctica.

In these movies and novels, humans, threatened by viral infection, struggle to maintain their composure.

I watched Prime Minister Shinzo Abe declare a state of emergency at a news conference yesterday evening.

He asked for everyone’s cooperation, and spoke about “a time of trial,” “a dark tunnel” and “national crisis.”

I wondered if the declaration will help stem the spread of infections or what sort of effect it will have. I realized I couldn’t foretell a single thing.

Perhaps the tough reality confronting us now is already much more ominous than what we’ve seen in sci-fi movies and novels.

I fervently hope this will end as soon as possible.

--The Asahi Shimbun, April 8

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.