How safe are the Tokyo Olympics during the pandemic?

The countdown to the postponement of the Tokyo Olympics has begun, and with it comes unprecedented concerns about the safety of the event.

Has Japan ignored the risk of the coronavirus pandemic for the economic benefit of gaming?

The Asahi Shimbun, the fourth largest newspaper in Japan, recently published a high-profile poll. The survey found that two-thirds of respondents doubted whether the game was safe. However, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga did not pay attention to such polls.

Yoshihide Suga is convinced that he will not risk the lives of the people and the athletes participating in the event. In addition, facts and figures seem to support his position.

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Japan was one of the first countries to encounter this virus. After the British cruise ship Diamond Princess docked in Yokohama in February 2020, Japan reported its first case of covid-19.

However, according to statistics from Johns Hopkins University, as of July 18, the country had approximately 850,000 Covid-19 cases, ranking 34th in the world. Although its death toll so far is less than 15,000.

The reasons why some countries survive the coronavirus pandemic better than others are still inconclusive, but as far as Japan is concerned, it is well known that deep-rooted cultural values ​​play a vital role in limiting the spread of the virus.

Facts have proved that bowing (ojigi) instead of shaking hands is a blessing in disguise for the Japanese people. The inherent culture of wearing masks has also become an obstacle.

These habits help Japan cope with covid-19 and fight the deadly seasonal flu.

Statistics show that seasonal influenza caused 2,569 deaths in Japan in 2017, 3,325 in 2018, and 3,575 in 2019. But in 2020, this number has surprisingly dropped to a few hundred people.

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Let us now compare the mortality data in Japan with the mortality data in the UK and Italy. These two Western countries are among the top ten most severely affected by the coronavirus.

To date, the UK has recorded more than 5 million cases and 129,000 deaths. Similarly, to date, Italy has more than 4 million cases and more than 127,000 people have died from the deadly coronavirus. In Japan, there have been more than 840,000 cases, but fewer than 15,000 deaths.

Such a low death toll is not only caused by bowing or wearing masks. Maintaining a healthy diet, washing hands frequently, and doing everything possible to maintain social distancing have become the norms of Japanese society.

But does this mean that Japan should follow in England’s footsteps, host the Olympics with fanfare and remove social distancing barriers? of course not.

Tokyo must strictly maintain social distancing and impose severe penalties on violators. It should be vigilant that after the recent European Cup in England, the number of coronavirus cases in Europe has increased dramatically.

However, it must also be pointed out that Japan must work harder to vaccinate its population with coronavirus, because the number of people vaccinated for the first time accounts for 31.59% of the total population of Japan.

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As the competition is scheduled to start on Friday, the organizers have confirmed that the two athletes living in the Olympic Village have become the first athletes to test positive for COVID-19.

It is hoped that the Tokyo Summer Olympics will be safe and will not put athletes and others at risk during the ongoing pandemic.