A woman who has returned to her parents' house until she gives birth is seen in this photo provided by the subject.

TOKYO -- As medical institutions across Japan brace for potential in-house coronavirus infections, some expectant fathers whose wives returned to their hometowns to give birth before Japan declared a state of emergency have been informed by hospitals that they cannot witness the birth of their own child.

"I understand that preventing the spread of infections is the top priority. But it's hard having to go through my first childbirth alone and not being able to share the moment with my husband," said a 27-year-old expectant mother via free messaging app Line during an interview with the Mainichi Shimbun. She returned to her home prefecture of Fukuoka from Tokyo in early March and has been staying with her parents to prepare for the delivery. The woman had originally planned to contact her 26-year-old husband, who is still in Tokyo, when her contractions started, and have him witness the delivery.

On April 7, when Prime Minister Shinzo Abe declared a state of emergency over seven prefectures including Tokyo, however, the Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the Japan Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists issued a joint statement asking mothers-to-be to refrain from returning to their hometowns to give birth. The two groups also requested that expectant mothers follow each hospital's rules on whether family members can be present at the time of delivery, as well as their restrictions on visits afterward.

The Tokyo woman was in fact told by the hospital where she is to give birth that she would not be able to see her husband while she is in the hospital

"As of now, my husband is waiting (for the delivery day) at my parents' home in Fukuoka, but after I give birth I won't be able to see him until I'm released from the hospital," she said.

Another 36-year-old expectant father in Tokyo, whose 30-year-old wife has been with her parents in the western Japan prefecture of Yamaguchi since late February, was told by his wife's hospital in early April that family members traveling from major cities "would not be allowed to enter the building, let alone witness the delivery."

The man was stunned to learn of the hospital's policy. "The girl we're having is our first child. I thought I would be able to see her face through a window after birth, but now I can't even enter the hospital," he said.

The man had planned to travel to Yamaguchi as soon as his wife gave birth, but now there is a stay-at-home request in place in Tokyo. While the state of emergency across Japan is planned to be lifted on May 6, the man says, "There is no guarantee that the situation will have calmed down by then. I might get criticized if people find out I came from Tokyo where the spread of cases (of COVID-19) is continuing." He added, "I'll just have to wait until I can see my daughter while I make sure that I wear masks at all times and practice thorough measures of hand-washing, disinfection and temperature checks."

Reiko Saito, a professor of public health at Niigata University School of Medicine, explains that this is "an important period" to prevent the further expansion of the outbreak, saying, "Self-restriction on movements is necessary at this time and we could call it 'an endurance period.' However, administrative bodies that call on the public to stay at home need to pay consideration and provide explanations so that people do not develop excessive anxiety or face discrimination or prejudice. They need to make efforts when asking for cooperation from the public."

(Japanese original by Nana Hayashida, Tama General Bureau, and Jintaro Chikamatsu, City News Department)