Photo/Illutration Shigeru Omi, the chairman of the government panel of experts dealing with the novel coronavirus pandemic, holds a news conference on Aug. 12. (Hiroki Endo)

Pedestrian traffic must be cut in half over the next two weeks to halt the spiraling COVID-19 situation in Tokyo and avoid preventable deaths, a government panel of health experts said.

The panel on Aug. 12 compiled a list of recommendations and called on the central and local governments as well as the general public to intensify their infection-prevention measures.

Infected patients in Tokyo are finding it increasingly difficult to find open hospital beds. There has also been a sharp spike in COVID-19 patients who have to recuperate at home.

“We are approaching a situation where lives that could have been saved will not be,” Shigeru Omi, the panel chairman, said.

The panel pointed out that outings are increasing not only among younger Tokyo residents but also middle-aged people who are at greater risk of developing serious symptoms if they have yet to be vaccinated.

The panel said one key goal is to bring the “effective reproduction number,” or how many people a COVID-19 patient has infected, to under 1, which would mean new infections have stopped spreading.

It said reducing pedestrian traffic to 50 percent of the level before the start of the fourth state of emergency was the absolute minimum condition to reach that target.

The panel recommended that the general public halve outings to congested areas. It also called for more forceful measures to reduce the number of customers at food sales floors in department stores.

But the panel also compiled activities that could be continued because they carried a reduced risk of infection. They included visits to parks and libraries.

The panel also urged the central and local governments to take immediate steps to bolster the medical care structure as one way to obtain the cooperation of the general public.

Saying the pandemic should be dealt with as though medical care was being provided in a natural disaster area, the panel called on authorities to also seek the cooperation of health care professionals who are now not directly involved in treating COVID-19 patients.

When asked why the recommendations were issued when the Bon holiday season had already begun, Omi said the intent was to gain some form of an effective result before the scheduled Aug. 31 end of the current state of emergency.

Yasutoshi Nishimura, the state minister for economic revitalization who also heads the central government’s effort to deal with the pandemic, did not present any new measures.

He only said that continued close cooperation would be sought with prefectural governors.

(This article was written by Kai Ichino and Keishi Nishimura.)

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