After weeks of partially clumsy crisis management, the Japanese government suddenly closes all schools to bring COVID-19 under control. The fear is that the Olympic Games could be canceled.
On Thursday evening, the Japanese rubbed their eyes in amazement: from Monday, 13 million students will stay at home for a month. Primary, middle and high schools will only open again after the spring break at the beginning of the new school year in early April. With the exception of China, Japan is the only country to have taken this unprecedented measure against the coronavirus. Children’s health and safety are top priorities, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said.
The move shocked the nation because the head of government had previously managed the crisis with a mixture of disinterest and complacency. He left the crisis team meetings after only a few minutes and showed little concern. Japan’s borders remained open to Chinese who did not come from the epidemic provinces. At the same time, the prime minister left it at the request to work from home and to avoid crowds. “The absence of political leadership was striking,” said German Japanese expert Sebastian Maslow from the University of Tokyo.
The rather negligent attitude to the risk of viruses then came to light on the cruise ship “Princess Diamond” in the port of Yokohama. The infection expert Kentaro Iwata described the quarantine measures on the ship as “completely chaotic”. Japanese passengers with a negative test result were allowed to leave the ship and take the train home, while other countries such as Germany isolated their returnees for 14 days. The Ministry of Health officials who boarded the ship were not tested afterward.
The Olympic Games should definitely take place
IOC member stirs up fear of rejection
Only a warning from abroad woke Abe and his cabinet out of their lethargy. Dick Pound, Canadian Vice President of the International Olympic Committee, made it clear that the Olympic Games in Tokyo would have to be decided by the end of May. A shift is not possible because of television rights and the filled sports calendar. The impending cancellation of the games rang the alarm bells in the Kasumigaseki region. Abe suddenly asked to postpone or cancel major events in the next two weeks. This period is crucial to contain the viral disease, said the politician.
Companies and organizations painted on them conferences and trade fairs, museums closed, the J-League football clubs postponed their game days, the national sport of baseball takes place in front of empty ranks. On the same day as Abe’s announcement, head of organization Toshiro Muto reaffirmed that the Olympic Games would take place. The torch relay through Japan will start on March 26 in Fukushima as planned. The coordination commission is also “fully” committed to the scheduled staging, said IOC President Thomas Bach in a conference call with the Japanese media.
