This past Sunday, the governor of Hokkaido, Japan’s “northernmost main Island and the largest prefecture by size” declared a state of emergency only one month after lifting a similar order. This decision came about because of a second wave in cases in that area. This situation could be important for understanding the trajectory of the disease, and the consequences for lifting regulations, in places that are behind Japan’s curve. However, I think it’s interesting and often confusing how the media uses locations that have been experiencing the virus the longest as ‘canaries,’ so to speak, as if we can use their situation to look into our future. How reliable is this approach? Is what is now happening in Hokkaido an inevitable course of events for other places that end their state of emergencies to quickly? This article is very short and informational, but I’m sure there will be more updates on this news item from other news platforms. This is the first one that came to my attention.
