Ignoring corona rules: Tokyo fears a drastic increase in infections


Ignoring corona rules
Tokyo fears a drastic increase in infections

Numerous spectators at the roadside at the bike race in Tokyo, hundreds of people crowd in front of the stadium for the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games: Now the Japanese are threatened with an increase in infections. An expert says that there was hardly any testing recently and therefore expects bad things.

According to an expert, the Olympic Games threaten to indirectly lead to an increase in the number of corona infections. The main problem is not the Olympic participants, said Koichi Nakano, a political professor at Sophia University in Tokyo. Rather, it is the fact that the games are actually taking place at a time when the population is increasingly “frustrated” by the corona emergency, which has been prolonged again and again.

“People are getting impatient and stop listening to the government,” said Nakano, citing the previous day’s bike races as an example. Numerous spectators could be seen at the roadside, sometimes they were standing in several rows along the route.

In the run-up to the Games, a majority of the population had spoken out against the Games. But now that the games have started, some would think “it doesn’t make sense to protest. Now you can support the games,” said Nakano. “That is a very typical Japanese way of thinking,” said the political scientist.

Hundreds of people crowded in front of the stadium

In addition, practically all television stations were taken over by the Olympic Games as a result of the massive influence of the Japanese advertising agency Dentsu, which, as the exclusive marketing partner for the games, also awards the advertising slots. It is in their interest to win the citizens over to the Olympics through constant sprinkling.

The resulting interest in the Games meant that, despite all government appeals, many citizens did not stay at home, but instead wanted to experience the Olympics as closely as possible, as they did at the cycling races. Hundreds of people had gathered in front of the stadium for the opening ceremony and watched the fireworks, even though they were not allowed into the stadium.

Nakano feared a drastic increase in infections in the next few days. The fact that the numbers are low at the moment is due to the fact that there was hardly any testing over the holidays and the weekend. With the appeal of the state to stay at home, be it with a heavy smoker “who tells his children not to smoke”.

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