Photo/Illutration Passengers, including those returning to their hometowns, wait for a Shinkansen at JR Tokyo Station on Aug. 7. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

The midsummer Bon season is around the corner. Just like last summer, we are repeatedly being urged to practice moderation in holiday planning, such as forgoing trips to our hometowns.

But the prolonged novel coronavirus pandemic has desensitized me this summer to the urgency of such pleas, and I imagine I am not alone.

Perhaps aware of the change, the Kanagawa prefectural government launched a new campaign in mid-July.

Twice a week, the prefecture takes to Twitter and the Line instant communications app to post messages about actual COVID-19 cases.

Here’s one example, written in the first person singular: “I went back home after quite a while and had a great time dining with my relatives. A few days later, I tested positive for the coronavirus and found out I had infected my family.”

This narrative is followed by a reminder from the prefecture: “Please try your hardest to refrain from traveling out of the prefecture for hometown visits or other purposes.”

In the past, the prefecture issued the latter kind of message through its public relations magazine and other media.

But amid the explosive “fifth wave” spike in infections, prefectural officials concluded that traditional bureaucratic language was no longer working.

That is why the prefecture appointed officials in their 20s to write in their own words typical examples of infections selected from reports filed by local public health centers.

The attempt drew objections when a case was introduced where a group of friends got infected one after another after chatting over bowls of ramen for 20 minutes or so.

A reader commented, “Surely there was no need to mention a ramen shop, was there?”

“As an administrative organ, we are always struggling to determine how far we should go,” said Satoe Ono of the prefectural government’s medical emergency response headquarters, where officials continue to learn by trial and error.

The public is no longer receptive to overused catchphrases Cabinet ministers and prefectural governors resorted to, such as “the crunch time,” “the three weeks that will decide the outcome” and “the critical juncture in an explosion of infections.”

What needs to be heard now are the voices of people who have survived horrific COVID-19 experiences as well as the pieces of advice they have to share.

From the Kanagawa Prefecture campaign, I understood anew that the front-line pandemic responses are dependent on the dedication and creativity of administrative officials in charge.

Tokyo on Aug. 10 logged a record number of serious COVID-19 cases. We must keep persevering for some more time.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Aug. 11

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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.

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