Japan Plays Down Swine Flu Threat as Tokyo Attests Third Case
The governments swine flu taskforce eased policies on quarantine and flight inspections and downplayed the severity of the virus in new guidelines issued today. The measures will end mandatory on-board health checks of people on flights from the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
Tokyos government last night confirmed its third case of swine flu, a 36-year-old woman who returned from a trip to the U.S. on May 19. Shops and hotels are losing customers as people stay home to avoid the virus. Japan had 283 cases of swine flu as of yesterday, the majority in and around Osaka, 400 kilometers (250 miles) west of Tokyo. No deaths from the virus have been reported in Japan.
“This virus should be considered more like a seasonal flu than a more deadly disease such as Avian flu or SARS,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Takeo Kawamura said today at a press conference, referring to severe acute respiratory syndrome. “People should remain cautious but calm.”
The relaxation of official guidelines comes as schools shut, businesses cancel meetings and hundreds of thousands of people cancel trips.
Losses
As many as 362,200 people canceled visits to western Japan, the Japan Ryokan Association said in a faxed statement dated yesterday. The cancellations to Kyoto, Nara, Osaka, and other western Japan destinations cost the tourism industry about 4.3 billion yen ($46 million), the hotel groups statement said.
JTB Corp., Japans largest travel agent, had 70 schools in the Tokyo area postpone trips to western Japan in the four days to May 20, according to spokesman Kazuhiko Sekiguchi.
Doshisha University closed its four campuses in Kyoto. A note posted at the entrance said the school will be shut from today until May 27. Doshisha has about 25,000 students, according to its Web site.
The outbreak forced shops to close in western Japan, including all 175 boutiques and restaurants at the Santica underground shopping mall in central Kobe. Sales fell by 50 percent, according to the malls general manager Kouji Kitamura.
“The damage done by swine flu is worse than the Lehman Shock,” Kitamura said today, referring to the global recession triggered by the implosion of Wall Street banks. “Were so scared since we dont know how long this will last.”
Inconvenience
“Its true that the new flu is causing inconvenience” in western Japan, Economic and Fiscal Policy Minister Kaoru Yosano said in Tokyo today. “We have to make efforts to minimize the impact on daily lives and the economy.”
The outbreak is providing marketing opportunities for shops and supermarkets in Tokyo offering food delivery for people who dont want to leave their homes, according to Japanese media reports. At a Bunkado supermarket in Toyosu, east Tokyo, staff placed signs reading “Stock Up Now!” under tins of tuna and pots of instant noodles.
In the latest reported infection in Tokyo, the woman developed a high temperature and was confirmed as having the H1N1 virus yesterday, the Tokyo Metropolitan government said in a statement. The case follows two high school students who contracted the virus after a trip to New York.
The number of confirmed swine flu cases globally totaled 11,034 in 41 countries. A total of 85 people have been killed by the virus, according to the World Health Organizations latest tally.