Message from the Mayor (as of 5/20/2021)

Since the end of April, COVID-19 cases in Hiroshima City have risen sharply and the spread of infection shows no signs of stopping with over 150 new cases every day for more than a week.

According to the epidemiological surveys of new cases, travel to areas with high numbers of COVID-19 cases during Golden Week, as well as going out to eat with large numbers of friends and colleagues without taking the appropriate infection prevention measures, has led to infections which were then brought into households and workplaces, causing infections to spread even more.

Looking at the age group data for new cases of COVID-19 after Golden Week, over 60% are in those younger than 40, and even in this younger demographic, we are seeing cases that are at first thought to be mild, but then become more serious and require hospitalization.

Looking at tests for new variants conducted for new cases, we have found that variants are responsible for over 80% of new infections. From this, we believe that infections are rapidly spreading through these variants and mainly in the younger generation.

With the sharp increase in the number of patients with fevers rushed to hospitals in ambulances, our emergency medical services are in a state of crisis; should patient numbers continue to increase, we run the risk of our medical care systems collapsing not just for COVID-19 care, but for medical care in general. In order to stop this from happening, I ask each of you to once again be thorough in your infection prevention measures.

Specifically, I ask that the younger generation not fall into the trap of thinking “I’ll be okay” or “I’m young, even if I get COVID-19, it’ll be a mild case.” Together with bearing strongly in mind that COVID-19 is a powerful virus that anyone is capable of catching, I ask that they think about what could happen if they themselves or their loved ones, their family or friends, were to test positive, and strictly adhere to basic infection prevention measures.

During the period of state of emergency in particular, avoid all unnecessary outings to reduce person-to-person contact.

While this means that even meetings between friends and close acquaintances must be restricted, solidarity among our citizens is absolutely crucial in overcoming this dire crisis, and so I strongly ask for the continued cooperation of all our citizens and our businesses.

MATSUI Kazumi
Mayor
The City of Hiroshima