Amendments to the Special Measures Law and the Infectious Diseases Law, which include penalties for businesses and infected people as measures against the new coronavirus, will come into effect on the 13th.
Infectious disease experts are urging the law to be used with caution, saying that the penalties could actually hinder countermeasures.
Nobuhiko Okabe, director of the Kawasaki City Institute of Health and Safety, who is a member of the government subcommittee, said, There is no doubt that there is a tendency. If the penalties come to the fore, it may become a trend that "it is better not to give information related to infection", which rather hinders countermeasures. Infectious disease countermeasures It should be assumed that we will continue to ask for the cooperation of many people, and we must be careful in the operation of the law, such as confirming individual circumstances. "
He added, "The time for discussion was very limited this time because of an emergency. It is necessary to discuss again what kind of system is more desirable when the infectious disease has settled down."