COVID-19 : a brief discussion on the possibility of hard lockdown

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 As summer progress, the number of COVID-19 patients started to rise once again at alarming pace.

I had a discussion with my friend about the possibility of lockdown in Tokyo. I have suggested positive opinion for the implementation of lockdown. As long as people are commuting across the local authorities and make contact with each other, the number of COVID positive case will keep increasing.

My friend said it is a rubbish.

She was firmly against the implementation of lockdown. According to her opinion, households with lower income will definitely be affected if lockdown was imposed. Some of the local authorities are too slow to support lower income families. They will deliver food supply to those families in need, only after 1 week from the implementation of lockdown.

“What will happen to those families? They can’t go out, they can’t buy food online, and they have to wait for a week for their food! Are you telling them to starve to death? “

I had no idea about such a bureaucratic nonsense at some of the Words in Tokyo.

Later on, I learned that there is a constitution which limit the hours of transportation closure. The constitution only allow 72 hours closure of traffic, to disinfect the virus-contaminated areas. So, put it very roughly, maximum length of lockdown will be 72 hours in case if it was implemented by some of the local authorities. It dosen’t sound effective at all.

For those people who are interested more about why Japan don't implement hard lockdown, there is an article by Timeout. Please check here.


On 8th July 2021, Japanese government announced that they will declare the fourth state of emergency from 12July to 22August.

Governors of many authorities requested the Japanese government to declare the state of emergency in their prefectures as well. In the end, the emergency was declared in 19 prefectures in Japan.

12July came, but it was just another day. People do went out for non-essential purpose.

There was fifth wave of COVID-19 in Japan. This time the number of COVID contracted patients increased record high. It topped 25,868 cases nationwideon 20st August 2021.

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