Japan tries public shaming to control unprecedented Covid outbreak

Japan reported a record of more than 14,000 infections on Wednesday

People wearing protective face masks amid the coronavirus disease outbreak visit an Olympic Ring outside the National Stadium, the main venue of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games (REUTERS)

Japan has begun naming and shaming people who are found to be breaching Covid rules in an attempt to control the raging virus, as the country saw a record of 14,207 new infections on Wednesday.

The health ministry has already released the names of a number of overseas returnees who it said broke Covid rules.

This comes as the government desperately tries to control the surging outbreak in the county amid criticism over its decision to go ahead with holding the Olympic Games.

Japan has witnessed a sharp rise in infections, with the highest single-day surge of more than 14,000 cases reported on Wednesday, according to public broadcaster NHK. Olympic host city Tokyo, which is housing thousands of athletes and Games-related workers, saw a record-high 4,166 new infections.

While Games-related cases are still low, Japan’s top medical adviser has said that hosting the Games has affected public behaviour with more people choosing to relax their adherence to Covid rules.

The names of two Japanese nationals returning from South Korea and a third returning from Hawaii were released on 2 August in a public document, issued by the country’s health ministry.

The document said the three tested negative for the virus upon arrival but did not report their health condition to the authorities in subsequent days. They also did not respond to video calls from the health authorities.

The officials had warned of publicly naming offenders in May. The document on Monday said authorities are acting in line with the same warning.

The spike in cases has forced Japan’s government to issue a contentious new policy to allow Covid patients with moderate symptoms to isolate at home instead of hospitals as “hospital capacity is limited,” health minister Norihisa Tamura said.

He said the virus has reached a “new phase” and said the surge in cases is on a scale “unseen in the past”. He backed the new policy to prevent the medical system from a collapse similar to what was seen in April in Osaka, when several died at home awaiting admission at hospitals.

The new spike is believed to be driven by the more transmissible Delta variant, contributing to a 10-fold increase in cases compared to a month ago.

Cases have tripled in Tokyo since the Games commenced on 23 July. But prime minister Yoshihide Suga said there is no evidence of a direct link between the surge and the Games, which come to a close on Sunday.