Photo/Illutration Shigeru Omi, who heads the government’s expert panel on anti-coronavirus measures, explains revised guidelines to evaluate the COVID-19 situation at a news conference in Tokyo on Nov. 8. (The Asahi Shimbun)

Japan on Nov. 8 lifted its entry ban for those on business trips as well as students and technical intern trainees. The measures were imposed 10 months ago as a part of the government’s response to the COVID-19 crisis.

Although the number of daily arrivals is limited and there are uncertainties about how the new rules will play out, we hope this will at least mark the first step toward recovering our pre-pandemic routine and international exchanges.

Outside Japan, however, infections are resurging in Europe and expanding in Asian nations with high vaccination rates, such as South Korea and Singapore. A similar situation arising in Japan should come as no surprise.

Utmost attention must be paid to new variants. Those that ran rampant in Japan during the pandemic’s fourth wave in spring and the fifth wave in summer were believed to have originated overseas.

We cannot afford to let our guard down, given the possibility of the emergence of even more infectious strains that are resistant to vaccines.

We have learned some lessons from our past mistakes. Specifically, the following basic rules must be enforced rigorously: Ensure that every new arrival is tested without fail upon arrival; if the individual tests positive, send the results for a thorough analysis; and if a new variant is detected, take steps to contain it immediately and start making preparations to avert further contagion.

Concurrent with the Nov. 8 lifting of the entry ban, the government indicated a new set of guidelines for assessing the state of contagion.

Up to Level 2 (that requires more vigilance), no requests will be made for businesses to close or people to refrain from outings. At Level 3 (that requires tougher measures), the government will consider issuing a declaration of state of emergency.

Level 3 will come into play when the number of patients is expected to reach that of secured hospital beds three weeks ahead, according to a “prediction tool” developed specifically for this purpose.

Higher vaccination rates lowered the rate of patients in a serious condition, and new drugs have also been approved. We can appreciate the government’s policy of trying to maintain social and economic activities as much as possible by focusing on the availability of adequate medical services.

But for this to work, every care must be taken to prevent delayed action from underestimating the signs of spreading contagion.

The daily update on the number of new infection cases serves as a good indicator, and has contributed to raising public awareness in fighting the pandemic.

We expect of the government to continue issuing accurate and timely information and explain each situation thoroughly to the public.

It is the job of prefectural governments to determine local alert levels, but the tardiness of the central government in the past to take necessary action was pointed out repeatedly by front-line health care workers.

It is fine to vest greater authority in prefectural governors who are best informed about their own local situations. Still, the central government has the final say on matters such as declaring a state of emergency. This certainly does not mean that the central government plays a lesser role than prefectural authorities.

For the central and local governments to remain on the same page and deal with issues together, the importance of smooth communication cannot be overemphasized.

Aside from deepening their understanding of the prediction tool and using it efficiently, the central government’s leadership and coordinating skills will be tested in situations where cross-prefectural action is required.

The central government must protect the lives and health of the public, as well as social activities, through close and flexible cooperation with prefectural governments.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Nov. 10

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