Japan's Olympic future is looking bleak. (Image via Japan Today)

Hokkaido turns to the nest of COVID-19

Alfonsus Adi Putra
Business & Industry
Medical and Health
Feb 27, 2020
1954
When the IOC decided to move the marathon venue from Tokyo to Hokkaido, the unprecedented novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has turned the northernmost region of Japan to the hotbed of COVID-19 infection. The local government is forced to close schools temporarily and halted tours to its famous whiskey distillery.

Once hosting the 1972 Winter Olympics, Sapporo, the capital of Hokkaido, will be the venue for marathons and walking races in the upcoming 2020 Summer Olympics. However, as the COVID-19 spreads to further Japan, the event is put under question.

Governor of Hokkaido, Naomichi Suzuki, had ordered all public schools to shut down temporarily from 27 February to 4 March. Suzuki said that the government expected criticisms, and he asked consideration and cooperation of the Hokkaido residents.

Currently, with 38 confirmed cases and one death, Hokkaido has the highest number of confirmed infection cases outside the capital of Japan, Tokyo.

The residents of Hokkaido stated their concerns, especially for their children. Moreover, they claimed that healthcare shops had run out of masks and disinfectants. They also blamed the Japanese government for being late on spreading the necessary information, causing more commotion and confusion.

Per Wednesday, Japan is approaching almost 170 confirmed cases, apart from the 691 cases from the Diamond Princess, the quarantined cruise ship ported at Yokohama Bay.

Source: https://bit.ly/2I5aR89

Medical , Health , Disease , Outbreak , Pulmonary , Pneumonia , Coronavirus , COVID-19 , Sports , Summer-Olympics , Asia , Japan , 2020 , Hokkaido , Sapporo