Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 7) — Japan will enter a month-long state of emergency starting Tuesday- a wake-up call for the Japanese people, an analyst said.
Seven affected prefectures will be under the state of emergency namely Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama, Chiba, Osaka, Hyogo and Fukuoka.
READ: Japan to declare state of emergency over coronavirus pandemic
Shizuoka University Dean and professor Seijiro Takeshita told CNN Philippines that the announcement of the state of emergency is a wake-up call for the Japanese people, which will definitely be accompanied with a lifestyle change for the coming month.
“It’s a good wake-up call. I think the Japanese people have been quite naïve about this. By getting a wake-up call, I think people’s lifestyle would definitely change,” he said.
Takeshita added that before this, people did not understand the importance of social distancing, and that is no longer the case now.
“I think people are starting to understand what social distancing is. That said still, there are so many people who really don’t understand the importance of social distancing, and this is one of the things the government has to strongly propel,” the professor said.
He added that there was a time where people let off their guard because they felt like the curve concerning the domestic cases of COVID-19, was not flattening.
Takeshita also expressed concerns with the preparedness of the country’s healthcare system, saying that there is a shortage in intensive care units.
“We have to realize that it is a health issue. Because if we don’t get the curve to be flat, it’s like you’re fixing the water pipe where the faucet is still on,” he said.
