Japan lifts COVID19 state of emergency but challenges abound
Although businesses got the go-ahead to ease coronavirus restrictions when the Japanese government fully lifted its state of emergency on Friday, experts are still unsure why infection numbers have receded from their peak, bringing concern a resurgence may follow.
That day, health minister Norihisa Tamura said, "There is no reason to say with certainty" what is causing the drop in infections, while others spoke more to the point, such as Kazuhiro Tateda, a professor in the medical department at Toho University, who admitted, "We don't know why infections are declining."
Under the state of emergency, the government urged people to stay at home and avoid going to crowded places. It also requested restaurants and bars to close by 8 p.m. and refrain from serving alcohol, with mixed results. Concerning the easing in stages of restrictions, a member of a government subcommittee said, "We are at the starting line. After evaluating the situation, we would like to return , little by little."