Aug 22, 2020 (outlookindia.com) - The governor of Iwate in northern Japan has criticized the national government''s “GoTo†campaign to encourage travel with discounts, noting the growing number of coronavirus cases.
Gov Takuya Tasso told reporters that to start it in July was “a bit too soon†as preparations weren''t complete. He says the tourism campaign “was carried out too soon, and so I think it can be called a failure.â€
Iwate has had the fewest cases of COVID-19 among Japan''s prefectures at 11 confirmed cases. The first case was reported just a month ago.
Since then, worries have been growing about the infection being brought in from outside Iwate, as well as about discrimination toward infected people.
Tasso credited low population congestion, lack of travel from abroad and the rest of Japan, and the cautious nature of residents for Iwate''s success.
Tasso says the experience of the 2011 tsunami made the Iwate people more in tune with crisis management.
