The emergence of Japan’s coldest city as a COVID-19
hotspot has raised fears among health experts that it could be a sign of what the rest of the nation may face as winter sets in and more people stay indoors, raising airborne transmission risks. The city of Asahikawa, about 140 km (87 miles) north of Sapporo on the northern island of Hokkaido, is reeling from infection clusters at two hospitals and a care home. By Sunday, the number of cases recorded on the island was more than 10,000, and Asahikawa had accounted for 16% of the 256 deaths.
It prompted the government to announce a plan on Monday to send nurses from Self Defense Forces to the region and western metropolis of Osaka to help fight the outbreak.
“Hokkaido is a place where due to the climate conditions people tend to have the heater on very high and in very closed spaces as well,” said Haruo Ozaki, president of the Tokyo Medical Association.
“In places such as Tokyo and Osaka, it will also be getting colder from now. When…
