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(Fighting New Coronary Pneumonia) Japan’s epidemic repeats itself, government tourism stimulus policy causes controversy
China News Service, Tokyo, November 22 (Reporter Lu Shaowei) According to statistics from the Japan Broadcasting Association (NHK), Japan recently diagnosed 2,596 new cases of new coronary pneumonia on the 21st, setting a new record for 4 days in a row. In the context of the increasingly severe epidemic, the policy of stimulating tourism previously implemented by the Japanese government has caused more controversy.
Data Map: On November 19, 2020 local time, the PATORO robot was patrolling a shopping mall in Tokyo, Japan, killing door handles and the floor.
In order to support domestic tourism and catering industries that have been severely affected by the epidemic, the Japanese government has previously launched related subsidy activities “Go To Travel” and “Go To Eat” ) to encourage travel and meals. People who participate in the event can get discounts on travel rates and consumer coupons.
Due to the large number of subsidies, the people who participated are in a never-ending stream. However, with the implementation of the activity, it has been reported that many people contracted a new coronary pneumonia while participating in the project, and even mass infections occurred one after another.
In response, Toshio Nakagawa, president of the Japanese Medical Association, said that while there is no conclusive evidence that the tourism subsidy policy is the direct cause of the epidemic’s rebound, there is little doubt that it has a lot to do with it. .
Ozaki Haruo, president of the Tokyo Metropolitan Medical Association, said the increase in people’s travel is likely to have an impact on the spread of the epidemic, and he hopes the government will suspend tourism subsidies. As for eating out, he said that while taking preventative measures, you should also reduce the frequency of eating out.
As of the 21st, Japan opened three consecutive holidays. The government has also strongly called for high-risk infection scenarios to be avoided and attention paid to protection. However, the bustling shopping streets and tourist spots in various locations are still crowded. As of the 21st, many main high-speed roads have experienced traffic jams for tens of kilometers. Additionally, the number of people using the Shinkansen and airplanes has also increased significantly.
At the same time, Hokkaido and other areas where the epidemic has spread rapidly before have asked the local population to reduce their departures, and in the face of crowds of foreign tourists, the local population also complained. Many people have posted messages on the Internet saying that foreign tourists carry more risks, which will worsen the already serious epidemic. Visitors who visited said that “the trip is already booked. If you cancel, you will lose a small predetermined fee, so you have to come.” Some tourists are optimistic that “as long as protection is in place, there is not much risk.”
At first, many people thought that the government used taxes to subsidize the event, which was unfair to those who were unwilling or unable to participate. Since this policy came out, many doubts arose, given the rapid spread of the epidemic, the controversy has been greatly amplified.
On the afternoon of the 21st, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga held a special meeting at the prime minister’s residence, in which he stated that the government will suspend travel subsidy policies targeting areas where the epidemic is raging. spreading rapidly. At the same time, they will ask the governors of the prefectures to discuss the suspension of catering coupons. Relevant Japanese government departments are reportedly urgently discussing when, where and how to suspend the policy.
Regarding subsidy activity, Japan’s Economic Renaissance Minister Yasuhiro Nishimura revealed on the NHK television show on the 22nd that, in addition to suspending new appointments in severely affected areas, the government will also explore how to deal with the issue. of cancellation fees, how to carry them out and how to achieve them. To what extent, the Tourism Agency is studying urgently. (End up)
