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As Japan, which has not imposed severe restrictions, did not conduct mass testing and which was not even of the centre for combating COVID, was able to defeat the infection before the other?

Monday, may 25, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced the cancellation of the country’s state of emergency, which was introduced in April. The regime, however, did not provide significant limitations — a variety of businesses, from restaurants to hairdressers, continued to work, and the movement of people is not limited, writes Bloomberg. On the territory of the island state was not used applications to track the movement of residents. In Japan, even there is no center against COVID-19.

And despite the calls for mass testing, the need for which was said by the head of the world health organization Tedros Adan Ghebreyesus, the Japanese authorities have done the tests for only 0.2% of the population is one of the lowest among developed countries.

nevertheless, the daily increase in infected in Japan was reduced to a few dozen in Tokyo for several days recorded less than a dozen cases, says Bloomberg. According to the Johns Hopkins University, for the entire period of the pandemic in Japan revealed 16 550 cases of coronavirus, and the total number of deaths amounted to 820, which was the lowest rate in the countries “big seven”, the Agency said.

what is the reason that Japan has experienced relatively easy epidemic — the subject for discussion. Some factors such as geographical proximity to the first outbreak of the disease, China, and the age of the population, creating substantial risks for the country. However, all the participants in the discussion agrees the only reason why the country has not realized the “hard” scenario of coronavirus, was not — played the role of a combination of factors.

“Just by looking at mortality rates, we can say that Japan has achieved success,” — said in a conversation with Bloomberg Professor of Waseda University of Mikihito Tanaka, adding that the cause of the victory over coronavirus do not know even the experts.

However, on the basis referred to in the media assumptions it is possible to allocate as much as 43 factors that could play a role from long-established culture of wearing masks and aversion of the Japanese to fullness to a sufficiently early decision to close schools. Among the most unusual assumptions is the assertion that Japanese speaking people to potentially produce less virus infected droplets when speaking, compared with those who communicate in other languages.

experts Surveyed by Bloomberg also highlighted a number of different factors, but none of them could not explain what held the Japanese authorities ‘ policy to combat the virus could be applied in other pageAnahita.

it was early mass response to the growing number of cases, says Bloomberg. The experts also appreciated the way contact tracing of cases in Japan, which was applied back in January, when the country first emerged coronavirus. The fact that Japan have long-established centers of public health. In 2018, they employ more than half of the 50,000 healthcare workers with experience in contact tracing of infected people. In normal times they are busy monitoring the spread of influenza and tuberculosis.

“It’s not a system-based applications in Singapore. But nevertheless it was very useful,” says Professor Hokkaido University Kazuto Suzuki. “Many say that we have no centers for disease control in Japan — said Professor University of health Sciences Yoko Tsukamoto. But the center for public health — a kind of local center for disease control”.

the First methods to combat coronavirus in Japan attracted the attention of the public after the country was forced to work with an infected cruise liner Diamond Princess. The end point of the route the ship was supposed to be the port of Yokohama, however due coronavirus this place turned into a “prison” for nearly 3700 passengers and crew members.

the story of the airliner that occurred at the beginning of the crisis, gave the Japanese professionals valuable information about how the virus spreads, and fixed danger in public consciousness. “For Japan it was like a burning car right next to your house,” said Professor Tanaka of Waseda University.

From the outset, the experts advised the public to avoid three things: closed spaces, crowded places and close contact. While prescriptions total isolation was not. “Social distancing may work, but is unable to continue a normal social life,” says Professor Suzuki of Hokkaido University. The approach with three rules is more pragmatic, but very effective — the effect is the same, he says.

Although Japan may have avoided the worst consequences for human health, weak restrictive measures did not save the country from economic difficulties. In the first three months of the year, Japan’s economy was in recession for the first time in 2015. According to the forecasts of economists, the second quarter will be the worst in history.

After the country closed its borders, the number of tourists in April dropped by 99.9%. This slowed down the industry, which could be a growth driver in the next few years, according to Bloomberg.

even after the end of the emergency mode of life will not return to normal, alert the local authorities. The more what would happen if a second wave, in Japan its the most elderly population in the world remain at high risk factor. “We have to assume that the second wave can be much worse than the first, and to prepare for it. If the next hop of the cases will be worse, the medical system fails,” said Professor of infectious diseases at the Medical school of Showa University of Yoshihito Nicky.