By ETSUKO AKUZAWA/ Staff Writer
August 23, 2022 at 18:13 JST
Prefectural governors participate on Aug. 22 in an online meeting of a task force to respond to COVID-19. (Etsuko Akuzawa)
The central government should immediately halt requiring local authorities to report all COVID-19 cases, the association of governors said in an emergency statement on Aug. 23.
It cited the enormous burden the mandate creates for local entities amid the current seventh wave of infections.
“It is akin to ordering officials to measure water levels while a dam is in the middle of collapsing,” said Tottori Governor Shinji Hirai, who heads the association.
The statement is expected to be submitted to Cabinet members involved in drawing up anti-COVID-19 measures later that day.
The emergency statement followed repeated calls from the association of governors and the Japan Medical Association since July to review the policy as the requirement weighed heavily on medical institutions and public health care centers flooded with patients.
“The central government should move to act now, rather than dragging its feet to consider alternative measures,” Hirai said.
Japan is struggling to fight the current wave of infections since July, with new cases soaring to levels unseen since the pandemic hit in 2020.
In the statement, governors urged the central government to “immediately switch to a more pragmatic approach.”
They suggested that local officials report only cases involving patients facing risks of developing serious conditions, such as older adults and those with pre-existing health issues.
They also suggested that the central government keep track of the spread of the virus by designating some medical institutions as monitoring facilities.
Though health minister Katsunobu Kato pledged on Aug. 19 to review the existing policy as soon as possible, most health experts advising the central government stood firm on maintaining the current setup.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Aug. 22 that the central government will announce new measures in a few days to ease the burden on local health officials, including possibly downgrading the novel coronavirus’ designation.
The infectious disease prevention law places infectious diseases into five categories--Types I through V--based on their infectiousness and the seriousness of their symptoms.
Currently, the novel coronavirus is categorized as “equivalent to a Type II” infectious disease, the second from the top requiring the most stringent measures.
Under the Type II classification, local authorities must be aware of the number of all patients in their jurisdictions.
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