Japan's hotels in a bind as mild and asymptomatic coronavirus patients opt to heal at home instead

Health ministry statistics as of April 28 showed that of the 8,711 official COVID-19 patients nationwide, only 862 were recovering at hotels catering to the mildly ill.

A separate survey released by the ministry around the same time, meanwhile, found that 12,090 hotel rooms were available for patients nationwide, indicating a measly occupancy rate of 7 percent. The number of patients at hotels, in fact, pales in comparison to the number recovering at home, who totaled 1,984, the figures showed.

Tokyo, for example, has more patients at home, 635, than any other prefecture, versus just 198 staying in hotels.

Both the ministry and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government stand by the position that mildly ill patients be sent to hotels rather than recover at home in order to avoid spreading the disease to family members. Staffed by doctors and nurses who provide daily checkups, the hotels are deemed instrumental in preventing those who live alone from going unnoticed if they become critically ill.

The central government’s original policy was to hospitalize all COVID-19 patients, but as it became clear the nation’s medical system was being overwhelmed, it changed tack to steer the mild patients toward hotels and homes. But as reports emerged of patients either infecting family members or seeing their health deteriorate, the ministry adjusted its policy further to prioritize hotel stays.

Officials attribute patients’ choice of homes over hotels to factors including the need to look after ailing parents, children and pets. Since patients aren’t responsible for the costs of hotel stays, money is not likely an issue, they say.

In Tokyo, public health centers have been instructed to persuade those with mild symptoms to opt for hotels, “but since their recommendation is not legally binding, there is nothing they can do when the patients refuse to comply,” a metropolitan official said.