"Reducing 80% of opportunities to contact people" Changes in awareness of homes and businesses

“Reducing contact opportunities with people by 80%” Changes in the awareness of homes and businesses 21:45 April 14

14 days after the call from the government to make an “emergency declaration” for the seven prefectures of Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama, Chiba, Osaka, Hyogo, and Fukuoka, and reduce the chances of human contact by 80% weekly. Awareness of homes and businesses is also changing.

Madoka Miyake, a housewife living in Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, raises her eldest daughter, who is 1 year and 3 months old, so she always has to wash her hands and disinfect herself with alcohol every day so she will not get infected with the new coronavirus. Since Tokyo was included in the “Emergency Declaration” issued by the government on 7th of this month, and it was requested to reduce the chances of contact with people by at least 70% and 80%, contact with people other than husband I try to reduce it and live it.

I try not to go to the supermarket nowadays because shoppers are crowded around the cash register. We purchase foods such as vegetables and most daily necessities such as diapers online to reduce the number of times we go out for shopping.

In addition, I used to take a walk to the nearby park with my eldest daughter, but I have been avoiding it to avoid contact with children and parents, and now I am playing on the grounds of my home, a boulevard with a pedestrian street. I avoid walking and taking a walk.

Mr. Miyake said, "If the deadline for 80% reduction is clear, we can keep the motivation to live by reducing contact with people, but it is the hardest thing to know how long this situation will last. I feel like it will loosen, but I think I have to keep it firmly. "

I am working while being confused ...

I heard about the government's approach to reduce the chances of contact with people by 80% in Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo, but I'm confused about the specific reduction method, but I'm confused Was asked a lot.

A 57-year-old woman, an office worker, said, "I only buy once a week at a time, and I rarely go out other than that. When I line up at a supermarket cash register, I try to stay about 2 meters away from the previous person. In addition, I am careful not to stand in front of people on the train, so I think we have generally achieved 80% of our goals. "

A 75-year-old woman who came home from the hospital said, "I try not to meet many people. Today I had to go to the hospital to get my medicine, but I sat down in the waiting room with people. I was talking. "

On the other hand, a 47-year-old man who runs the company said, "In a 100-point scale, the self-rating is 10 points. I would like to use a car to avoid contact, but considering the burden of parking fees etc., it is realistic. I have no choice but to use trains and I think it is difficult to reduce contact with people by 80% every day.In the first place, the goal of reducing 80% is vague, and I can only achieve it by not taking a step from home. So I feel the limit, ”he said.

Strict response at companies

Ricoh, a major precision equipment manufacturer, takes strict measures to prevent employees from working at home without the permission of their superior to avoid contact with people to the maximum extent possible.

At the Ricoh head office in Ota-ku, Tokyo, more than 90% of the approximately 2000 employees work from home after the government declared an emergency on July 7.

In the office of the department in charge of personnel affairs in the afternoon on the 14th, the electricity in the room was turned off, the power of the personal computer was turned off, and there is no employee working.

In order to take thorough measures against infection with the new coronavirus, the company reported in advance to the boss when meeting with outside people such as business partners while working from home or when it is necessary to work at the head office or business office. You must get a permit to leave the house above. Our aim is to avoid the risk of employees being infected with the new coronavirus while they are out of work, and to reduce contact with people.

Since the 7th when the government called for reducing contact with people, cases allowed so far are: ▽ PC required for business is broken, go to replace PC, ▽ go to pick up ordered office equipment It means that there are only a few.

On the other hand, it is difficult for employees who develop new products or employees who carry out services such as maintenance and inspection to work from home.Therefore, to avoid contact with people, special commuting by private car without using public transportation is recommended. It means that we are taking measures such as admitting to.

Mayuko Seto, Human Resources Director of Ricoh said, “I emphasize to employees that the purpose of working from home is to minimize contact with people, but if this situation lasts long There are limits to what you have to do when you come to the office. "

Expert "From now on, the second week is the critical moment"

Professor Takanori Yoda of Kyoto University, who specializes in behavioral economics and is familiar with the behavior of citizens in times of emergency, said how to continue efforts to reduce contact with the government's call to reduce contact between people by 80%. He points out that some will be an issue.

Professor Yoda analyzes behaviors of self-restraint in an emergency, such as how much citizens responded to the government's request for power saving during the Great East Japan Earthquake. Regarding the government's call to reduce contact with people, "At the request for power saving in the Great East Japan Earthquake, many households worked to save power in the first week, but in the second week, they became accustomed to less effect, and after the third week, they worked. Has completely disappeared. The government's call for this time will be the second week, and it will be a critical moment from now on. "

On top of that, he said, "Keeping yourself at home to avoid contact with people without specific action guidelines is a great psychological stress, and even a small slackness can lead to a big crack, so be careful." I pointed out.

Professor Yoda said, “The current way of asking the citizens for reductions is important in order to prevent medical collapse, but in the future, a concrete action plan for continuation will be necessary. Planned blackouts after the Great East Japan Earthquake As such, by "visualizing" who, when and what to do, we have a better outlook on our lives and make it easier for citizens to take action. " I showed the idea that should be presented.

“If you don't have hope for the future, your current patience will reach its limit. The national and local governments will make a thorough assessment of the risk of infection, and consider the possibility of compensation if the risk is high. We have no choice but to ask for leave, but it is necessary to find a way to resume economic activity in low-income industries so that the people can return to the self-employed / self-supporting path, '' he said. .