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So far 2,487 have died of COVID in Japan, a country that tests about 270 a day for every million people. Their strategy? Japanese officials warn people to avoid the 3Cs: closed spaces, crowded places, and close-contact settings. And people listen. https://www.economist.com/asia/2020/12/12/the-japanese-authorities-understood-covid-19-better-than-most
Their culture(like other Asians countries) are used to wearing masks because of air pollution. They’re used to viral outbreaks and have a strong sense of social responsibility. 2003 SARS taught them importance of masks but Japan’s mask-wearing culture started already in 1934.
I wonder how much it has to do with the increasing anti-science sentiments growing here and lack of trust in government. Also, there is a correlation between individualism and COVID-19 death rates. https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/the-battle-over-masks-in-a-pandemic-an-all-american-story/2020/06/19/3ad25564-b245-11ea-8f56-63f38c990077_story.html?utm_campaign=wp_post_most&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&wpisrc=nl_most
"Japan also has a good health-care system, with universal coverage and lots of well-equipped hospitals. It even had lots of already trained contact-tracers, part of an established public-health network dating back to the 1930s."
Cases everywhere are increasing, I still think their clear & regular communication of warnings and regulations to the public, coupled with evidence-based policies to avoid total lockdowns while also ensuring that clusters are contained and economic aid is available is admirable.
relevant: “Japan to suspend entry for foreigners effective on Monday, in order to control the spread of a new strain of COVID-19 that is more transmissible, found in the United Kingdom. Japan has registered several cases of the new strain.”