Mar 02 (Japan Times) - The number of cases of harassment and bullying targeting local communities affected by the outbreak of the COVID-19 coronavirus and people involved in dealing with the situation has been on the rise in Japan.
The municipal government of Yuasa, Wakayama Prefecture, has been receiving a flurry of inquiries related to its return gifts given to people making donations to the town under the country’s furusato nÅzei hometown tax donation program.
Such inquiries started to increase after suspicion of in-hospital infection with the virus at a medical institution in the town arose.
Some people who made donations under the program declined to accept a return gift of locally produced fruits out of concern about infection.
The Japanese Association for Disaster Medicine claimed in a statement issued on Feb. 22 that some medical workers who dealing with the COVID-19 outbreak on the Diamond Princess cruise ship suffered mistreatment, such as being called a “germ†or being asked not to take their children to nursery schools. “These are human rights issues, so we strongly protest,†it said.
