By NAOYUKI TAKAHASHI/ Staff Writer
July 30, 2020 at 15:30 JST
The government ignored a plea from its expert panel on COVID-19 measures not to rush the start of its “Go To Travel” campaign as infection cases were rising, according to the head of the panel.
That contradicted the government’s stance that it would proceed with the campaign to boost domestic tourism, which started on July 22, after hearing expert opinions.
Shigeru Omi, who heads the panel, appeared at a session of the Lower House’s Committee on Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism as an unsworn witness on July 29.
Responding to a question from an opposition lawmaker, Omi disclosed that he made the proposal on behalf of the panel several days before the government decided to exclude Tokyo from the campaign on July 16 when the capital reported a record 286 new COVID-19 cases.
The campaign, designed to help the tourism industry recover from the effects of the pandemic, subsidizes up to half the cost of a domestic trip. The government moved up the start of the program from mid-August to July 22, the day before a four-day weekend.
Omi said he suggested that the government delay on deciding to start the program since it needed to offer an explanation, given the surge in infections in the country.
He also urged the government not to rush to a conclusion but to spend more time discussing the matter by analyzing the infection situation.
“Unfortunately, the government did not adopt the proposal,” Omi said.
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Shigeru Omi, who heads the government expert panel on COVID-19 measures, attends a session of the Lower House’s Committee on Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism on July 29. Tourism minister Kazuyoshi Akaba is seen behind him. (Takeshi Iwashita)
