Declaration of emergency situation Direction for extension of approximately one month The point of judgment is 19:19 on April 30th
Regarding the emergency declaration based on the Act on Special Measures, the government is making adjustments in the direction of extending it by about one month while keeping the target area nationwide.
Future flow
On the 1st, a government expert meeting was held to analyze the trends in the number of infected people, the number of people visiting tourist resorts, and the data on medical care systems in each region. Opinions will be exchanged.
Based on the opinions of the expert council, the government is expected to proceed with the procedure for extension of the declaration.First, from the government's "Advisory Committee" created by experts of infectious diseases etc. Please hear your opinion.
After the views of the Advisory Committee are presented, the House of Representatives Steering Committee of both Houses of the House will report and question the government policy.
The government's task force will then be opened and it is decided that the declaration will be extended.
From now on, it will be important to consider how to handle requests for cooperation regarding school closures and facility closures, and how to respond differently in each region.
The point of judgment is
At the expert meeting, the following three major indicators are emphasized:
1. infection status
2. behavior change
3. medical system.
1. Infection status
First is the infection situation. This looks at changes in the number of new infections every day.
In the case of Tokyo, 79 people were announced on April 7, when the declaration was issued. The number has increased to 201 on the 17th, and this week has peaked, with some days falling below 100 this week.
One member of the expert meeting has begun to turn to a decline, but realizes that the rate of decline is slower than expected.
It is not only the number that is simply decreasing, but whether it is decreasing gradually or sharply, and how the curve descends is also an important point.
In addition, some experts say that the number of new infections per day in Japan is less than 100, and it is a guideline that the number will be double digits.
2. Behavior change
Next is behavior change. The government has set a goal of reducing contact with people by 80% and urges us to review our daily behavior patterns. According to an expert meeting, "If we can reduce 80%, the decrease in the number of confirmed patients will be clearly visible in the data in one month."
On the other hand, if the reduction rate does not reach 80%, it will take more time to reduce the number of infected people.
The expert meeting analyzes the number of contacts at major stations and downtown areas and the number of contacts per hour based on location information data of mobile phones and evaluates whether the behavior change of people is linked to the suppression of infection. I am going to do.
3. Medical system
Next is the medical system. Specialists attach great importance to the medical system. Especially in rural areas, the medical system is weaker than in urban areas, and if careless, there is a possibility of medical collapse.
Specifically, we will look at:
▽ how tight the hospital bed is, ▽
number of hospitalizations for severely ill people
,
▽ whether mildly ill people are moving to accommodations, ▽ whether the examination is performed smoothly, etc. .
One of the experts said, "Even if the number of infected people has been reduced, the medical system is still under pressure in various places, and it is not possible to cancel it after the long holidays."
The expert committee will make an evaluation based on such scientific knowledge and numerical values.
In addition to the scientific evaluation provided by experts, the government will also consider economic and social impacts when making decisions.
What is an emergency declaration
The Emergency Declaration is a measure based on the Act on Special Measures Against New Coronavirus that was enacted last month. The Prime Minister will make a declaration and specify the period and area where urgent measures will be taken, in cases where there is a possibility that the national and rapid spread of the population could have a great impact on people's lives and the economy.
The prefectural governor of the target area can request the residents to cooperate in the prevention of infection, including self-control of going out, unless it is necessary to maintain their lives.
In addition, we can make requests and instructions such as school closures and restrictions on the use of facilities where many people gather, such as department stores and movie theaters.In addition, if necessary, we own land and buildings to provide temporary medical facilities. It can be used without the consent of the person.
In addition, in case of emergency, the carrier can be requested and instructed to deliver medicines and medical devices. If necessary, medicines can be expropriated.
Prime Minister Abe issued an emergency declaration to seven prefectures in Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama, Chiba, Osaka, Hyogo, and Fukuoka on 7th of this month, and expanded the target to the whole country on 16th of this month.
Of these, 13 prefectures, including the 7 prefectures that were declared from the beginning and 6 prefectures of Hokkaido, Ibaraki, Ishikawa, Gifu, Aichi, and Kyoto, need to be promoted with a particular emphasis on preventing the spread of infection. Therefore, we have positioned it as a “specific vigilance prefecture”.
The declaration period is until the 6th of next month, but the government is making adjustments in the direction of extending it by about one month with the target area of the declaration being nationwide.
Progress around the declaration of an emergency
It is the process of declaring an emergency based on the Act on Special Measures Against the New Coronavirus.
February 27: Prime Minister Abe prepares for special measures law
In preparation for the spread of the new coronavirus infection, Prime Minister Abe has instructed the relevant ministers on February 27 at the government's task force to prepare for the development of a special measures law that enables declaration of an emergency. Did.
March 4 Call for cooperation at the leaders' meeting
While some opposition parties are worried about restrictions on their private rights, Prime Minister Abe held an individual meeting with the 5 opposition party leaders on March 4 to call for cooperation in order to promptly pass the bill.
March 13th Special Measures Law Approved / Established
On March 13, the Special Measures Law against the new coronavirus was passed and passed at the plenary session of the House of Councilors.
March 26th and 28th: Declaration of emergency Situation of legal procedure
While the number of infected people is rapidly increasing in Tokyo and elsewhere, the government established a "Countermeasures Headquarters" based on the Act on Special Measures on March 26. Then, two days later, at the headquarters on 28th, the “basic coping policy” including the general policy to be tackled by the government etc. was decided and the legal procedure for declaring the emergency situation was completed.
March 31 Requests from local governments and medical personnel to declare
There was a strong opinion that the government should carefully consider the impact on the economy regarding the declaration of an emergency, but Governor Koike of Tokyo, Governor Yoshimura of Osaka Prefecture, the local government side and the Japan Medical Association. There has been an increase in requests from medical personnel to make a declaration.
April 6 Prime Minister Abe announces that he will declare an emergency
In April, the number of infected people in Tokyo exceeded 100 per day, and the sense of urgency in the government increased. On the 6th, Prime Minister Abe said, We had a meeting with Shigeru Omi, the chairman of the government's “Advisory Committee,” which is made up of specialists in illness, and received reports on the situation.
Then, in the evening, I made it clear to the reporters that I would declare an emergency on the following day. The target area is seven prefectures such as Tokyo, and the period is about one month until May 6, and the countermeasures headquarters also announced such a policy.
April 7 Decided emergency declaration
Based on the opinion that the Government's policy that the advisory committee issued a declaration of emergency for the seven prefectures including Tokyo on April 7 was appropriate, Prime Minister Abe said that the House of Representatives of the House of Representatives Attend the steering committee and explain the government policy. Declaration was decided at the countermeasure headquarters in the evening.
In response to this, Prime Minister Abe held a press conference and called on residents in seven prefectures to refrain from going out, aiming to reduce 70% to 80% of opportunities to contact people. In addition, the government decided an emergency economic measure in an extraordinary cabinet meeting.
April 10 Announcement of business formats for requesting suspension of business in Tokyo
In response to the issuance of the emergency declaration, the governor of Tokyo, Koike, announced on April 10 the specific business conditions for requesting cooperation for the suspension of business. Initially, the city planned to make requests to department stores, home improvement stores, barber shops, etc., but due to coordination with the government, it was not included in the target.
April 16 Declaration of national expansion of the area covered by Abe's declaration
While the outbreak continued to spread in areas other than the seven prefectures that were the targets of the emergency declaration, while Aichi Prefecture and other countries made their own emergency declarations, Prime Minister Abe made the declaration target areas nationwide at the countermeasures headquarters on April 16. Decided to expand. At a press conference the next day, we repeatedly called for refraining from moving from urban areas to rural areas for the long holidays.
April 29, Prime Minister Abe "It is difficult to completely cancel"
At the Budget Committee on the House of Representatives on the 29th, Prime Minister Abe said that the number of new infections continues to increase even under the current circumstances. I think the difficult situation is continuing. ”
We are carefully studying the situation while paying attention to the situation of the number of people in each region, the number of infected persons, and the medical care provision system.