COVID-19 pandemic in Tokyo

COVID-19 pandemic in Tokyo
COVID-19 pandemic by municipality in Tokyo as of March 2021
  1,001+
  501-1,000
  101-500
  51-100
  21-50
  1-20
  No confirmed cases
Number of infected people per 100,000 population as of August 2021
DiseaseCOVID-19
Virus strainSARS-CoV-2
LocationTokyo, Japan
First outbreakWuhan, Hubei, China
Arrival dateJanuary 24, 2020
Confirmed cases962,673[1]
Severe cases79[1]
Recovered791,674[1]
Deaths
3,564[1]

The first case relating to the COVID-19 pandemic in Tokyo, Japan, was confirmed on January 24, 2020, and on February 13, 2020, the first infection of a Tokyo resident was confirmed.[2][3][4] On March 26, 2020, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government established the "Tokyo Novel Coronavirus Infectious Diseases Control Headquarters" based on the Act on Special Measures against New Influenza.[5]

As of July 31, 2022, the highest daily number of infected people in Tokyo was confirmed on July 28, 2022, with 40,406 people.[6]

Outbreak

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New Year's party on a houseboat

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On February 14, 2020, multiple infected people were confirmed among attendees of the New Year's party of a private taxi union branch in Tokyo held on a yakatabune (houseboat) on January 18, 2023.[7][8] Two of them were relatives of a male taxi driver in his 70s who was confirmed infected on February 13.[7] A few days before the New Year's party, a yakatabune employee served a tourist from Wuhan.[7]

Hospitals

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Eiju General Hospital

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On March 25, 2020, more than a dozen inpatients and nurses were found to be infected at Eiju General Hospital, the largest in Taitō, Tokyo.[9] According to the Tokyo metropolitan government, this is the first case of a suspected group infection in a hospital.[9] Mayor Yukio Hattori of Taito Ward established the Taito Ward Novel Coronavirus Infectious Diseases Control Council, which is composed of people involved in medical institutions. It announced that it would open in hospitals and wards.[10] In addition, it is believed that this cluster may also have originated from houseboats.[11]

As of May 9, 131 patients and 83 staff members (8 full-time doctors, 60 nurses/nursing assistants, clerks/technicians/contractors, etc.) were confirmed to be infected one after another. 15), a total of 214 infections and 42 deaths have been found.[12]

Metropolitan Bokuto Hospital

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At the Tokyo Metropolitan Bokutoh Hospital in Sumida, infection was confirmed in one patient and one outsourced staff member on April 9, 2020 (announced on the 14th), and by April 28, 13 patients, 27 staff members, and outsourced staff were infected. A total of 43 infections, including 3 staff members, and 4 deaths have been confirmed.[13]

2020 Summer Olympics and 2020 Summer Paralympics

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There have been 788 cases detected and reported by the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee between 1 July and 8 September 2021, with 66 additional cases being detected among Games personnel before that date after the Committee started recording them at an unknown date. The cases have sparked concerns prior to the games. The bubble surrounding the Olympic Village has been described as having been broken after the first case occurred there in mid-July. (Full article...)

Government response

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Shibuya Station, where the lights were turned off at the request of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government
Kabukichō Ichiban-gai gate with neon lights off
  • In June 2020, the Shinagawa Ward Office announced that it would provide all residents with 30,000 yen per person, and 50,000 yen for junior high school students and younger.[14]
  • On July 9, 2020, the Shinjuku Ward Office decided to pay 100,000 yen per person to residents who were confirmed to be infected, as some people were affected by the infection.[15]
  • On September 1, 2020, the Chiyoda Ward Assembly passed a supplementary budget bill that includes a new coronavirus countermeasure that provides all residents with 120,000 yen per person.[16]
  • On September 2, 2020, Tachikawa, as its own measure, decided to provide 10,000 yen per person as a living support and sympathy for citizens in the corona disaster.[17]
  • On January 7, 2021, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government opened restaurants, coffee shops, bars and karaoke shops.[18]

Tokyo Alert

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According to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Tokyo Alert was "an accurate notification of the infection situation in Tokyo and a call for vigilance".[19] The purpose is to issue early warning information and prevent the re-expansion of infection.[20] Tokyo Alert does not impose any restrictions on the lives of Tokyo residents, and is merely a call for vigilance by the city.[20]

On 2 June 2020, Tokyo Alert was issued due to the risk of infection spreading mainly in downtown areas and hospitals at night.[21] The Rainbow Bridge and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building were lit up in red.[22] Journalist Toshinao Sasaki said in a radio program, "I wondered what Tokyo Alert was, so I looked it up on a search engine, but there was neither a site nor news that explained what to do."[23] In addition, criticism of Tokyo Alert included that the new standards were difficult to understand.[24]

The Tokyo Alert was lifted on June 11, the 10th day after it was issued.[25] Yuriko Koike announced on June 12 that she would end the Tokyo Alert and phased closure request system.[26] On the 15th, we decided to consider reviewing the criteria for issuing alerts.[27] In the two weeks after the alert was lifted (June 12–25), the total number of infected people was 500, almost double the total of 252 in the previous two weeks (May 29-June 11).[28] The Tokyo metropolitan government was cautious about reissuing the alert, fearing that economic activity would stagnate again.[25]

Tokyo COVID-19 countermeasure site

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The Tokyo Metropolitan Government COVID-19 Countermeasures Site is a website published by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government on the spread of COVID-19 infection in Tokyo.

Developed by Code for Japan, a general incorporated association, commissioned by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. Since its release on March 3, 2020, it has exceeded 1 million PV per day.[29] In addition, although it is unusual for a public institution website, it is open source through GitHub and receives feedback.[30] Taking advantage of its characteristics, many derivative sites such as other prefecture versions have appeared.[31] In addition, Taiwan's Minister of Digital Affairs Audrey Tang participated in the feedback.[32][33]

It provides real-time information in an easy-to-read, simple design. It is open source and can be used by anyone. It also supports six languages: Japanese, English, Chinese (simplified and traditional), Korean, and simple Japanese. Information such as the status of testing and the number of infected people is displayed in a graph -based design, and the latest news and consultation methods are also explained.[34][35][36]

Infection prevention thorough declaration sticker

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An example of the sticker

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government issued the "Thorough Infection Prevention Declaration Sticker" for the purpose of working on the infection spread prevention guidelines for businesses formulated by the metropolitan government.[37] In the media, it is also known as the rainbow sticker.[38] A checklist that businesses should take to prevent the spread of infection is checked on the web and issued online, and it is used as a guideline to show that businesses are working on infection prevention measures.[37] At a press conference on July 15, Koike called on restaurants and other establishments that do not comply with the metropolitan government's guidelines to "avoid using them," and told business operators that they were following the guidelines set by the metropolitan government.[39] As of August 13, about 175,000 stickers have been issued, and the number of stickers has reached about 190,000. Starting on the 3rd, when restaurants and other establishments were asked to operate at shorter hours, the number of stores that put up the stickers gradually increased, partly due to the fact that posting the stickers was a condition for receiving the cooperation money. Koike says, "I want to fill all of Tokyo with rainbow marks, aiming for 1 million copies".[38]

Anyone can print out the stickers by checking the items on the Tokyo Metropolitan Government website. In August, a mass infection was confirmed at a restaurant that posted the sticker, and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government said, "We will check to what extent the guidelines have been followed."[40]

Socio-economic impact

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Main article: COVID-19 pandemic in Japan § Socio-economic impact

The Tokyo One Piece Tower closed down permanently on July 31, 2020, due to the impact of the pandemic on its management.[41][42][43] The 2020 Tokyo Rainbow Pride parade was cancelled.[44][45]

2020 Summer Olympics

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In January 2020, concerns were raised about the potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on athletes and visitors to the Summer Olympic Games. Tokyo organizers and the International Olympic Committee insisted they were monitoring the spread of the disease to minimize its effects on preparations for the Olympics. The IOC stated that in 2020, their Japanese partners and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe "made it very clear that Japan could not manage a postponement beyond next summer [2021] at the latest". Unlike the case for Zika virus during the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, SARS-CoV-2 can be transmitted directly between humans, posing tougher challenges for the organizers to counteract the infectious disease and host a safe and secure event. Also unlike the case for H1N1 "swine flu" during the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, COVID-19 has a higher fatality rate, and there was no effective vaccine until December 2020. In a February 2020 interview, Conservative London mayoral candidate Shaun Bailey argued that London would be able to host the Olympic Games at the former 2012 Olympic venues should the Games need to be moved because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike criticized Bailey's comment as inappropriate. In early 2021, officials in the U.S. state of Florida offered to host the delayed Games in their state, while John Coates, the IOC vice president in charge of the Tokyo Olympics, said the Games would open even if the city and other parts of Japan were under a state of emergency because of COVID-19. (Full article...)

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d "都内の最新感染動向". 東京都新型コロナウイルス感染症対策サイト. Retrieved 2022-02-05.
  2. ^ "新型コロナウイルスに関連した感染症の患者の発生について". 東京都福祉保健局. 2020-01-24. Retrieved 2020-03-26.
  3. ^ ""新型肺炎"国内2例目 東京都が対策会議". 日テレNEWS. 日本テレビ. 2020-01-24. Retrieved 2022-07-31.
  4. ^ "タクシー運転手 新型コロナ感染 東京". 日テレNEWS. 日本テレビ. 2020-02-13. Retrieved 2022-07-31.
  5. ^ "新型コロナウイルス感染症に関する対応（第116報）（新型インフルエンザ等対策特別措置法に基づく東京都新型コロナウイルス感染症対策本部の設置について）". 東京都. 2020-03-26. Archived from the original on 2020-03-29. Retrieved 2020-03-26.
  6. ^ "【新型コロナ】東京都4万406人の感染確認 先週木曜日より8528人増加…"過去最多"初の4万人超". FNNプライムオンライン. フジテレビ. 2022-07-28. Retrieved 2022-07-31.
  7. ^ a b c "感染の屋形船従業員、武漢からの旅行者接客…新年会100人出席". 読売新聞オンライン. 読売新聞社. 2020-02-15. Archived from the original on 2020-03-03. Retrieved 2022-07-25.
  8. ^ "新型コロナ 屋形船新年会で感染急拡大 関係者以外も確認 都「市中感染前提で対策」". 毎日新聞. 毎日新聞社. 2020-02-16. Retrieved 2020-03-26.
  9. ^ a b 抜井規泰、青木美希 (2020-03-26). "台東区最大の病院で集団感染か 不安募らせる患者ら". 朝日新聞デジタル. 朝日新聞社. Retrieved 2020-03-27.
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  11. ^ "屋形船感染者から拡大か…永寿総合病院のクラスター". テレ朝news. テレビ朝日. 2020-04-02. Retrieved 2020-04-04.
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  13. ^ "陽性者一覧" (PDF). 東京都病院経営本部. 2020-05-12. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2020-11-21. Retrieved 2020-05-13.
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  15. ^ "東京 新宿区 感染確認の区民に10万円の見舞い金 新型コロナ". NHK NEWS WEB. NHK報道局. 2020-07-09. Retrieved 2020-07-09.
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  17. ^ "「立川市市民生活支援給付金」を給付します" (PDF). 立川市Web. 立川市企画政策課. 2020-09-02. Retrieved 2022-07-25.
  18. ^ "都の協力金 最大で186万円". NHK NEWS WEB. NHK報道局. 2021-01-07. Archived from the original on 2021-01-07. Retrieved 2022-07-25.
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  23. ^ "わかりにくい「東京アラート」～発動されるとどうなるのか". ニッポン放送 NEWS ONLINE. Retrieved 2020-06-28.
  24. ^ "「テレビ映え」の東京アラートは大阪のマネ? 基準なき警戒警報の迷走（全4ページ）". ダイヤモンド編集部. 2020-07-04. Retrieved 2020-07-04.
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  26. ^ "「何の意味があったのか」都民に困惑、第２波不安 東京アラート終了". 東京新聞 TOKYO Web (in Japanese). Retrieved 2020-06-28.
  27. ^ "感染者増、東京アラート出さない都庁 逆に指標を見直す：朝日新聞デジタル". 朝日新聞デジタル (in Japanese). 15 June 2020. Retrieved 2020-06-28.
  28. ^ "解除後に増え続ける感染者、その感染時期は…「東京アラート」効果に疑問の声". 東京新聞 TOKYO Web (in Japanese). Retrieved 2020-06-28.
  29. ^ Code for Japan (2020-03-23). "東京都新型コロナウイルス感染症対策サイトを開発". PR TIMES. Retrieved 2020-04-08.
  30. ^ 世永玲生 (2020-03-28). "2020年の奇跡 GitHub上に公開された「東京都公式 新型コロナウイルス対策サイト」の裏側". Engadget 日本版. Archived from the original on 2020-03-29. Retrieved 2020-04-08.
  31. ^ "都の新型コロナ対策サイト、オープンソースで"派生版"続々誕生 全国で30以上、高専生も開発に参加". ITmedia NEWS. 2020-03-23. Retrieved 2020-04-08.
  32. ^ 横山耕太郎 (2020-03-17). ""新型ウイルス感染症対策サイト"を爆速で創った舞台裏…｢一人のヒーローだけじゃ世の中は変わらない｣". Business Insider Japan. Retrieved 2020-04-08.
  33. ^ 山崎春奈 (2020-03-09). "「マジで胸アツ」台湾の天才IT大臣、東京都の新型コロナ対策サイトの修正に自ら参加し話題に". バズフィードジャパン. Retrieved 2020-04-08.
  34. ^ 高須正和 (2020-03-12). "東京都公式の新型コロナ対策サイトはオープンソースで作られた！". 日経ビジネス電子版. Retrieved 2020-04-08.
  35. ^ 山川健 (2020-03-24). "東京都が都公式の新型コロナウイルス感染症対策サイトを開発、都はソースコードを公開". Web担当者Forum. Retrieved 2020-04-08.
  36. ^ 谷井将人 (2020-03-18). "東京都の新型コロナ対策サイト"爆速開発"の舞台裏 オープンソース化に踏み切った特別広報チームの正体". ITmedia NEWS. Retrieved 2020-04-08.
  37. ^ a b 株式会社インプレス (2020-06-12). "東京都、「感染防止徹底宣言ステッカー」発行". Impress Watch (in Japanese). Retrieved 2020-08-13.
  38. ^ a b "「虹のステッカー」実効性は？ 掲示店で集団感染も". 日本経済新聞 電子版 (in Japanese). 13 August 2020. Retrieved 2020-08-13.
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  40. ^ "東京「虹のステッカー店」で集団感染、感染防止徹底のはずが・・・". TBS NEWS. Retrieved 2020-08-13.
  41. ^ Komatsu, Mikikazu. "Tokyo One Piece Tower Posts Farewell Video to Thank for Five-Year Support". Crunchyroll. Retrieved 2020-10-03.
  42. ^ "Tokyo One Piece Tower Attraction Closes Down on July 31". Anime News Network. Retrieved 2020-07-17.
  43. ^ "Notice of Tokyo One Piece Tower close-down | TOKYO ONE PIECE TOWER". onepiecetower.tokyo (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2020-10-20. Retrieved 2020-07-17.
  44. ^ Steen, Emma (2020-03-23). "Tokyo Rainbow Pride cancelled for 2020". Time Out. Archived from the original on 2023-07-08. Retrieved 2023-07-09.
  45. ^ Osaki, Anika; Kaneko, Karin (2023-04-23). "Tokyo Rainbow Pride returns in full for first time in four years". The Japan Times. Archived from the original on 2023-07-08. Retrieved 2023-07-09.
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