Japan's Third State of Emergency PT1

Not So Greater Tokyo

As predictably as the sun rising in the east, yet another “emergency” was declared after daily reported cases started rising after the second state of emergency (SoE) had been lifted.

Whereas the second SoE had mainly meant bars and restaurants closing at 20:00, the national government decided that more businesses needed to be bullied in the third SoE.

(https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2021/04/02b12b7c8022-suga-to-declare-covid-19-state-of-emergency-in-tokyo-western-japan.html)

The “quasi-emergency” measures basically involved bars and restaurants closing at 20:00 or 21:00. So was the SoE in Tokyo effective?

[Figures by Hiroshi Nishiura for the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare https://www.mhlw.go.jp/content/10900000/000809638.pdf]

Why yes. It clearly caused infections to fall. In fact, Tokyo’s actions of banning spectators from events and closing businesses were so effective that they even brought down cases in all three neighboring prefectures where events where held with spectators and businesses were open.

[Weekly reported cases per 100,000. Data from https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/special/coronavirus/data/]

Thank God Gov. Koike requested neon lights to be turned off after 20:00 or I don’t know what would have happened.