Hokkaido under lockdown again after second wave of coronavirus emerges

Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido has put a lesson in front of the world in the next round of battle against Covid-19. Action was taken soon after the infection spread there. Three week lockdown was declared. But, the governor hurried to lift the ban. After this, the second wave of infection has become more serious. Therefore, the lockdown has to be reinstated again after 26 days. Dr. Kiyoshi Nagase, chairman of the Hokkaido Medical Association, admits, “I regret now. We should not have to remove the emergency.”

Hokkaido was the first region in Japan to declare a lockdown

At the annual snow festival in Hokkaido on January 31, 2 million people were involved. There were a large number of Chinese tourists. In the beginning of the festival, doctors had seen symptoms of coronavirus in a woman from Wuhan, China. Many other Chinese tourists fell ill. Soon the virus spread. On February 28, the Governor declared Emergency. By that time there were 66 cases. Schools, colleges, businesses were closed. 50 food processing companies went bankrupt. The dairy industry was devastated. Hokkaido was the first region in Japan to declare a lockdown.

Ban lifted on 18 March, people throng the streets

The situation started improving in mid-March. The restrictions were lifted on 18 March. In Hokkaido, people thronged the streets. Restaurants, cafes, markets started getting crowded. People started coming from Tokyo, Osaka and other areas. Soon the infection started spreading rapidly. On April 14, Emergency was imposed again. Cases increased by 80% in less than a month after removing the first lockdown. As of Wednesday, 495 cases had been reported in Hokkaido. Now the atmosphere of calmness has again changed into anxiety.

The world should learn this lesson before removing lockdown

Kazuto Suzuki, vice dean of international politics at Hokkaido University, says, “Leaders around the world should learn lessons from Hokkaido while removing the lockdown.” You cannot be relaxed after overcoming the first round of infection ‘. Experts say the restrictions were quickly lifted due to pressure from local businessmen and a misconception of certainty stemming from a drop in the rate of infection.

Cases doubled in Japan in two weeks

With a population of 53 lakhs, Hokkaido is known for its fisheries, beauty and farming in the mountains. It is very different from Honshu, Japan’s main island with densely populated urban areas. Honshu has big cities like Tokyo, Osaka. Japan still has fewer Covid-19 cases (about 13 thousand) than other countries. However, cases have doubled in the past two weeks.