Coronavirus Disease and the Shared Emotion of Blaming Others: Reviewing Media Opinion Polls During the Pandemic

摘要

In Japan, the revised Infectious Diseases Control Law1 and other amending acts, passed in February 2021, newly stipulates administrative penalties for those who refuse hospitalization and testing and those who do not comply with shortened business hours when required. Considering that Japan’s countermeasures against infectious diseases rely on individual voluntary behavioral changes, this revision of the law may become one of the major turning points for such countermeasures. Introducing penalties as a response to a pandemic should be considered with great caution. Individual behaviors are not determined solely by personal preferences,2 and harsh criticisms against individuals deemed non-compliant by the general population can lead to the alienation of patients and infected individuals and be inappropriate for infectious disease control.3