Spread of new corona infection Delays in delivery of groceries to home caregivers one after another

With the spread of the new coronavirus infection, the number of people receiving medical treatment at home has increased rapidly to more than 500,000 people nationwide, and the delivery of food products provided by local governments to home medical care workers has been delayed, resulting in insufficient support. ..

According to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, the number of people infected with the new coronavirus and receiving medical treatment at home has reached 543,045 nationwide as of the 9th of this month, an increase of more than 100,000 from the previous week, the highest number ever. Has been updated.

To support the lives of these people, prefectures and other prefectures deliver groceries such as water and retort foods to their homes.

However, due to the rapid increase in the number of home care recipients, food delivery has been delayed in Tokyo, Saitama, Chiba, Osaka, Fukuoka, etc., and support has not been sufficiently received.

Of these, in Tokyo, in principle, we deliver to those who wish by the next day, but at peak times there are 9,700 applications a day, and it may take several days or more to arrive.

Also, in Saitama prefecture, it takes up to a week from application to delivery, and in Osaka prefecture, there are cases where delivery takes time due to delay in registration of infected people.

Reasons for the delay include many municipalities not being able to secure the required number of groceries and the delivery companies not being able to deliver.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government said, "I am sorry that we cannot keep up with the sudden increase. The delay is gradually disappearing. The number of infected people will not decrease sharply in the future, so we will take measures to deliver it without delay. I want to proceed. "

Home recuperator in Osaka "I was just worried"

A female in her thirties who lives in Osaka Prefecture is one of those who received food support from the local government.

The woman is a single mother raising an 11-year-old daughter and an 8-year-old son, and was confirmed infected on the 4th of this month after her daughter had symptoms on the 30th of last month.

After starting her recuperation at her home and spending her first few days eating the groceries she had stockpiled at her home, she soon ran out.

However, because the food support did not reach from Osaka prefecture and I could not go shopping, I could not prepare meals for growing children.

For this reason, I had to ask for ingredients for home delivery through the Internet, and while I was absent from work and my income was not stable, my meals were higher than usual and the burden increased.

After all, three days' worth of food arrived from Osaka prefecture 11 days after the start of quarantine at home.

The woman said, "I experienced that it was really hard to have no food that I couldn't go shopping. I really thought that lack of food would really lead to death. Delivery to home is very expensive and the household budget is high. I was so oppressed that I had to take a break from work for a long time, which hindered my future life and I was just worried. "

Cancellation of delivery Allowed to go out Kanagawa

Kanagawa Prefecture has stopped delivering food products to anyone other than some people, such as those who are at risk of becoming seriously ill, since the 28th of last month, saying that the number of home care recipients has increased rapidly and it has become difficult to respond.

For this reason, it is unavoidable for infected people to go out to buy groceries.

When going out, Kanagawa Prefecture encourages people not to wear masks and talk to people, not to go to crowded places, and to finish in a short time.

Supported by local government Tokyo Hino

With the delay in food assistance in Tokyo, there are cases where local governments are embarking on assistance.

Of these, Hino City delivers three days' worth of food to residents who cannot receive supplies.

Since the end of last month, there are days when there are more than 50 applications a day, and we are responding by gathering staff from other departments of the government office.

On the 15th, about 10 staff members packed porridge and jelly into boxes and handed them to the delivery company.

Masaaki Amano, Chief of Prevention, Hino City Health Division, said, "I think that eating often makes me feel better. It may interfere with my normal work, but it is a really life-threatening work, so I asked the staff who are free. I have been given priority in helping me. "

Local shops cooperate and support Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo

Local shops are also working together to deliver food and other items at the request of people who are receiving medical treatment at home.

In Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, from the 21st of last month, 10 stores such as pharmacies, stationery stores, and newspaper stores in the shopping district have been shopping at the shopping district in response to requests from residents who continue to receive medical treatment at home. I am delivering.

In order to avoid contact as much as possible, the cost will be reimbursed by the requested store and paid after recovery.

Of these, 26 delivery requests were received at the pharmacy in the shopping district by the 15th, so on that day, throat lozenges were delivered at the request of the home recuperator.

Some people want to deliver prepared foods and ingredients because they do not receive food support from Tokyo.

Koichiro Takagi, the representative of Takagi Pharmacy, said, "I'm worried about the lack of relief supplies from the government. I'd be happy if it could lead to the hopes and peace of mind of the residents."