The earthquake with a maximum seismic intensity of 6 or higher on the 13th of this month occurred as the infection of the new coronavirus continued to spread.
At the evacuation shelter in Soma City, Fukushima Prefecture, we took thorough infection prevention measures so that the victims could visit the evacuation shelter with peace of mind.
In Soma City, where the earthquake with a seismic intensity of 6 or higher was observed on the 13th of this month, a maximum of 92 people evacuated to the "Sports Arena Soma No. 2 Gymnasium" which became an evacuation center.
This time, Soma City measured the temperature at the entrance of the gymnasium and installed alcohol to disinfect hands and fingers.
In addition, in order to prevent "denseness" in the gymnasium, we set up 35 tents at intervals of 2 meters and asked each household to enter separately.
In addition, in case residents suspected of being infected evacuate, doctors and ambulances are on standby on the premises, and if there is a fever of 37 degrees 5 minutes or more, an antigen test can be performed on the spot. It was.
Fortunately, no new evacuees came, and the morning after the earthquake, no one had symptoms such as fever until the posture was released, but in preparation for infection confirmation, the Jukuken Dojo at the next facility was opened. The evacuation center was exclusively for people suspected of being infected, and they were preparing to have public health nurses stationed there.
In Soma City, measures for corona in these evacuation shelters were planned last fall amid concerns about disasters caused by typhoons and the spread of new corona infections.
According to Soma City, it is rare for a local government to take such measures.
However, in the face of the disaster caused by the corona disaster, challenges have become apparent.
In Soma City, we have prepared 1000 tents used at the evacuation shelter this time, but since we have to set up at intervals in the corona disaster, it is the same scale as the 4,500 people who evacuated at the time of the Great East Japan Earthquake. There are not enough tents and shelters to set up tents to accommodate the victims.
It was also found that it was not clear what to do when residents with fever and other symptoms were confirmed one after another.
Tomoichi Murai, chief of the Social Welfare Division of Soma City, said, "I thought that some residents might not go to the evacuation center for fear of being infected with the new coronavirus, so I set up an evacuation center corresponding to the corona. I would like to resolve the issues that have become clear this time one by one, and make preparations so that people can evacuate without hesitation and lead an evacuation life with peace of mind in the event of an emergency. "