The Japanese government has decided to declare a state of emergency over the spread of the novel coronavirus. It will be the first such declaration under the revised special measures law against new types of influenza and other infectious diseases.

The number of people infected with the new virus has surged in Tokyo and Osaka, and those whose infection routes are unknown are also on the rise. Japan is indeed on the brink of an "explosive increase" in infections.

If new infections continue at their current pace, Japan could witness a collapse of its medical system, with hospitals unable to accept patients with severe symptoms of COVID-19. The decision to declare a state of emergency was no doubt based on such concerns.

In Tokyo, hotels and other facilities are finally beginning to accept people with only light symptoms of the disease. But a full-scale response to the virus outbreak making use of central and local government facilities has yet to commence. We can only conclude that the central government and local bodies' measures have been late in arriving.

As the government moves to declare a state of emergency, it must carefully explain the situation to the public to gain people's understanding and cooperation. The biggest aim of the declaration is to curb an explosive increase in the number of infections and prevent a collapse of the country's medical system.

In the seven prefectures with large numbers of virus infections, including greater Tokyo as well as Osaka and Hyogo prefectures, the state of emergency is expected to last for about one month. The grounds for this duration should be explained. Depending on the situation, the state of emergency could be extended, so standards are needed to determine what conditions would need to be filled for the declaration to be lifted.

The declaration of a state of emergency will provide legal grounds for asking people to remain indoors. It will also be possible to request or order restrictions on the use of facilities such as schools, movie theaters and night clubs. The facilities subject to such measures are to be announced.

The government will also be permitted to use land and buildings to set up temporary medical facilities. Moreover, it will be possible for it to request the sales of medical supplies or to expropriate them.

This does not mean, however, that Japan will implement a lockdown like those seen overseas. Supermarkets and other stores will remain open, and people will be able to buy food and other daily necessities. Public transportation and necessary businesses will continue to operate.

If people flock to supermarkets to hoard food, then the risk of infections will increase. Meanwhile, it is feared that if people rush to get away from the areas subject to restrictions, infections could jump to other areas of the country. We hope that people will make a point of acting calmly.

Facilities where the risk of infection is high, such as live music facilities, clubs and the like, in particular, will be asked to refrain from operating. To increase the effectiveness of measures to curb the spread of the virus, government bodies no doubt need to provide financial support to businesses whose revenue will tumble as a result.

It will be up to prefectural governors to decide which of the measures that are possible under the declaration to implement. The measures will limit private rights as an exception to normal rules, so governors must remember to maintain a restrained stance, weighing up the necessity of measures.

Up until now, people had been asked to exercise self-restraint to prevent the spread of the virus, but in areas where the state of emergency is in effect, local officials will need to step up countermeasures. Since more people are being infected through unknown routes, the measures to counter clusters of infections that have been implemented to date will not be sufficient.

According to expert analysis, to prevent an explosive increase in the number of infections, contact between people needs to be reduced by about 80%. This target cannot be reached simply by asking people to remain indoors voluntarily on weekends, as has been done to date. People's day-to-day actions need to proceed a step further and change, with companies promoting telework, for example, so that employees can avoid commuting.

At the same time, people will still be able to go jogging or take walks while avoiding crowds. In overcoming the pandemic, we hope measures will be taken so that people don't feel excessively cooped up.

Following the declaration of the state of emergency, the government and local bodies need to pour effort into bolstering medical systems to save people who have severe COVID-19 symptoms. An urgent task at hand is the acquisition of artificial respirators and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) equipment, as well as protective gear to prevent infection.

There is also a need to assemble medical workers who can treat people with COVID-19. In each field it will probably be possible to enlist the help of those who are qualified but not working, as well as retired medical professions.

Enhancing counters to accept inquiries from people about possible infections, which are expected to increase in the future, is another issue. It is still important to try to trace the route of infections, and public health center systems need to be boosted.

Even after the issuance of the declaration, the state of infections in Japan will continue to change day by day, and a swift response to these changes is crucial. The central government and governors must continue to issue information and provide explanations that promptly correspond to the changes.

Japan must avoid a collapse of the medical system under which lives that could have been saved are not saved. In the fight against the novel coronavirus, there are limits to how much the government and local bodies alone can do.

It is feared that infections could spread in areas not included in the declaration this time if they let down their guard. Each person must maintain a crisis mentality and boost action to prevent the spread of infections.