How Strong is Your Self-Control? part one

A year ago in the summer of 2019, Japan was starting its yearlong countdown for the 2020 Olympics. Preparations were in full swing and the mood was festive and exciting. I can still vividly remember the Closing Ceremony of the 2016 Olympics in Rio. Remember Prime Minister Abe emerging as Super Mario? Everyone was anticipating what was being promoted as the best Olympics to come. With a cool numerical year like 2020, what could possibly be better?

Fast forward one year later and we're in the middle of a worldwide pandemic which has recently been getting worse here in Japan. The other day, Tokyo had a record high for the number of cases of Covid-19 or as they say in Japanese 新コロナウイルス (the Shin-Corona Virus.) There have been over a hundred new cases daily for the past 15 days, but on July 23, 2020 there were 366 cases reported. This is even higher than the number of cases we had when the emergency restrictions were put into effect! The total number of cases for Japan on the 23rd was over 900. Other prefectures in Japan such as Aichi and Saitama also experienced record highs recently. And mind you, testing in Japan is still very limited. We honestly don't know how many tests are being given, how many people are being turned away even if they want to be tested or how many hospitals are now at dangerously full capacity. It's a bit worrisome.

Now compared to other parts of the world, many people will say these numbers are relatively low for a country that has such a huge population. There are probably many states in the US that have almost five times (if not more than) the number of cases in a single day that Japan has had. It was not even a month ago that we were dealing with single-digit numbers of cases being reported across Japan, although the prefecture where I live (Kanagawa) still had not cleared that so-called safe threshold. Yet despite that, Tokyo lifted its restriction orders and allowed businesses to reopen provided they continue to implement measures to protect against the spread of infection. Many schools, including mine, re-opened in June with Phase One which allowed students to return to school on a voluntary basis. Phase Two began in July where students attended school in either a morning session or an afternoon session on designated days in designated groups. All the strict rules that I thought were still being enforced gradually seemed to be eased and people around me seemed to be more cheerful and optimistic. In fact, when I elected to continue teaching online during Phase One, several teachers told me that I was being overly cautious and that I shouldn't worry. I certainly don't regret my decision at all since I am the sole caretaker of my 87 year-old mother and my 13 year-old dog. (That's right. We're technically a 3-senior household! lol)

So what went wrong? What caused numbers to increase again in such a short period of time when everyone thought things were better? Everyone has theories and opinions and observations. Here's mine.

During the so-called lockdown, people were pretty good about staying home, persevering, and observing the requests to close businesses and "stay at home." I say "so-called" lockdown because Japan's government can make strict requests to do things like wear masks or cancel events, but you would not be fined or arrested if you did not observe these requests. Since Japan has always been a "mask culture" with people often wearing masks to prevent the spread of colds or the flu and since many people often wear masks because of allergies or the desire to hide their faces, there wasn't a problem with people being requested to wear masks. If you had a condition where wearing a mask was difficult to do or if you chose not to wear one while exercising or walking in the summer heat, generally no one would approach you or verbally attack you. Some places may request that you wear a mask in their store or workplace, but I haven't seen the same types of reactions towards or against wearing masks as I've seen in other countries. Perhaps the hardest thing during the first few months of the pandemic was being able to buy masks. They were always sold out and people often waited in long lines just to be able to buy a pack of masks. It was strange to see places like the famous Shibuya intersection or Takeshita Street in Harajuku which are usually packed with people pretty much deserted. Restaurants, pubs, karaoke houses, game centers, shopping malls, bars, museums, amusement parks, and even pachinko parlors all closed. It was good to see that people were finally taking everything more seriously. In the beginning, I was really irritated seeing people still insisting that Covid-19 was nothing more than the flu. There were still a number of YouTubers I watched who would go out and film without wearing a mask despite the restrictions and film the empty streets of Tokyo or what things were like in the supermarkets or even just going to the different places scolding the number of people who were out playing in the park when they should have been at home. (Hypocritical much?!) When the Japanese comedian Ken Shimura passed away from Covid-19, I think it was a huge reality check. It made people realize that the virus did not discriminate and could infect anyone of any age at any time. We saw athletes, entertainers, newscasters and political figures around the world be stricken. Perhaps that made everyone all the more determined to stay home and beat the virus. For me, it gave me a new perspective on what life is often like for people who face health risks because of their underlying conditions, immunity issues or recent surgeries. I think I took a lot for granted because I never worried about anything when I went out to eat, or when I've been squished on a train. I've been blessed with pretty good health and I do pay good attention to taking care of myself. But at 61 years of age, was I considered a high-risk candidate even as someone in good health?

As the numbers of daily cases slowly started decreasing in May, everyone seemed hopeful that Japan was miraculously "flattening the curve" and there was a bit of renewed optimism. Then came the day when restrictions were finally lifted. Businesses were allowed to reopen and people began to return to their old routines, but with new prevention measures implemented. There were new marks on the floor to assist with keeping safe physical distances when waiting in line. Many restaurants and workplaces installed acrylic or vinyl barriers. Alcohol sprays and gels were placed at the entrance of many businesses. People were cautioned to continue to be vigilant, careful, and practice the same habits as when the restrictions were on. I would have expected more people to be feeling uneasy. However, there seemed to be a lot of positive energy with everyone excited to be able to go out again. I think the best way I can compare this in an analogy is that it seemed as though everyone had been locked up at home and told that there was a war going on. If you chose to go out, it was risky. So everyone stayed home. Some people got stir crazy and the financial pressures took a big toll on people's mental health and living conditions. When the restrictions were lifted, it was as if someone opened a gate and announced "Okay, everyone! You're free again! Go ahead! It's time to enjoy your life and make up for all that lost time!" It was around this time that families were getting their government stimulus checks of 100,000 yen per person. Of course this money was to help out with the burdens that Covid put on people who were unable to work. But as I watched different news programs on TV, some people were excited to use this money to celebrate and buy a luxury item or go on a long-awaited trip since they couldn't travel during Golden Week. Friends reunited and went out to eat again at their favorite restaurants and pubs. Groups got together to go out to karaoke or play at game centers. Gyms reopened and people could go out bowling or swimming again. Nightlife resumed, pachinko parlors went back into full swing and crowds were beginning to form again on the trains and at tourist spots. Masks, alcohol gels and sprays, hand wipes and yes, even toilet paper were all readily available. As I watched the news and even the attitude of some of my colleagues, it seemed that everyone was excited to get back to life before Covid. BUT THAT'S THE THING! Could we go back to the life we had before Covid? When restrictions were lifted, did the virus just disappear?! No. Covid-19 remains at large and although we are probably more aware of what we need to do to prevent the spread of infection and to make smarter choices in our lifestyles, we haven't conquered the virus yet. I think a lot of people wanted to believe that it was safe again. I think there are a lot of people, particularly younger people who think because they are healthy, wear a mask, wash their hands, and carry their alcohol sprays that it's okay to go out and do all the things they used to do. They no longer have the desire to stay at home or pass up the chance to go to Disneyland or meet up with friends for a drink or a night of karaoke. I've heard this said a lot. "The restrictions are over. It's OKAY! Things are OPEN!" The mentality of a lot of people that I see being interviewed on the news or on different social media posts is that if things were THAT bad, everything would close again. Some people feel as if they were cheated out of their Golden Week holidays so now they are anxious to travel again because they did their part to lift the restrictions.

Now I do get it. I do know that we cannot stay in a protective bubble forever. We may have to adopt new lifestyles or health habits to become stronger or better able to combat the virus should we become infected with it. I've taught without a mask on plenty of times when influenza was going around at my school. Knock on wood, but I have yet to catch the flu since I've been here in Japan. (I came here in 1988!) As more is researched and learned about Covid-19, I'm sure we will also learn more about how to prevent it and what we can do to overcome it. Hopefully, there will be a vaccine in the near future. However, I don't think it is quite the time to celebrate yet. How did we go from being so disciplined and worried to all of a sudden feeling as if everything was back to normal? I'm going to write more about this because there's so much on my mind, but I never seem to be able to get everything written at one sitting so I'm going to split this into sections.

xox