Japan: Least restrictions, no mask mandates or lockdowns yet protected lives AND economy. How? Clear messaging & leadership

 

UK ONS study out 6 June shows Japan had the lowest stringency index of measures (least restrictions). They didn't have national restrictions and masks were never mandated. Not only was Japan's death rate far lower than their UK & elsewhere, the lower population level exposure to infection and subsequent Long-Covid, Japan also protected its economy with the lowest drop in GDP among G7. How? With clear messaging & leadership, focusing on airborne precautions (masking, distancing & ventilation) and rigorous contact tracing and isolation.

Meanwhile, in Ireland - following the UK's mass infection/let it rip model:

• The number of Covid-19 deaths per million people is currently the highest in Europe and the seventh highest in the world, figures from Our World in Data show (Irish Times 8 June 2022)
• at least 1.3 million people — one-quarter of the State’s population — are on some form of waiting list for health services. The figure includes more than 200,000 people waiting for treatments such as physiotherapy, dietetics or speech and language therapy, with 227,000 waiting for an X-ray, scan or other diagnostics.
• We are now in our 3rd wave in 6 months with record numbers of our elderly & sick languishing on trollies in overcrowded SARS2 ridden hospitals with no mitigations & no government guidance or intervention.