Photo/Illutration Tourists wearing face masks walk in Tokyo's Asakusa district on Dec. 14. (The Asahi Shimbun)

Some medical institutions were already on the brink of being overwhelmed while health experts had repeatedly called for the suspension of the government’s Go To Travel tourism promotion campaign.

Although the Yoshihide Suga administration did finally decide on Dec. 14 to suspend the campaign nationwide from Dec. 28 through Jan. 11, the prime minister bears heavy responsibility for failing to act much sooner.

The end is nearing for what the government calls a “crucial three weeks” for bringing COVID-19 surges under control. But there have been no visible changes in the movements of people, nor has the curve been flattened.

The government essentially sent a dangerous mixed message by subsidizing tourism while warning the public of the coronavirus crisis. Small wonder that the message never really resonated with the public.

The Suga administration has so far prioritized economic activity over infection control. But now that the “third wave” appears unstoppable, the government must get its priorities straight. And that, we believe, will provide a real economic recovery in the long run.

The nationwide suspension of the Go To Travel campaign alone cannot stop the spread of infections. The government’s most urgent mission now is to accurately assess the present situation, re-evaluate its actions to date, determine the steps it needs to take in the days ahead, explain all that to the nation, and seek the public’s broad cooperation.

But after announcing the suspension of the campaign, Suga did not hold a news conference to explain what he intends to do next. He only talked to reporters at the prime minister’s office, noting, “I thought the year-end and New Year’s holiday season would be a crucial time to implement measures intensively.”

Front-line medical staff will be in short supply when many hospitals and clinics close for the holidays. Even with the nationwide suspension of the Go To Travel program taking effect on Dec. 28, this will hardly prevent a possible surge of infections during the holidays.

The government must urge the public to cancel travel plans as soon as possible, and it should start preparing for the consequences without delay.

One thing we cannot overlook is transport minister Kazuyoshi Akaba’s comment about the period after Jan. 11: “Common sense indicates that normalcy should be restored to regions where health care services are not being overwhelmed.”

Akaba implied that the Go To Travel campaign should be restricted on a region-by-region basis, but the central and local governments need time to coordinate their plans.

And cancellation procedures place a huge burden on travel agencies. In the last six months of haphazard handling of the campaign, the Go To Travel program proved itself unfit to deal with the pandemic’s unpredictability.

In fact, the government’s initial intention was to start this program “after the spread of infections has been brought under control.” The government needs to go back to its original plan.

In Tokyo, Osaka and many other areas, food service industries are still being asked to curtail their operating hours. Compliant businesses receive “cooperation money” from the local governments.

It is time to consider direct subsidies to support the hard-hit tourist industry.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Dec. 16

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