Sick, health workers in Japan face bullying and ostracism

An Osaka city assembly man compared a young patient to 'a murderer' of elderly people. Representation pic/AFP

COVID-19 in Japan has brought not just an epidemic of infections, but also an onslaught of bullying and discrimination against the sick, their families and health workers. A government campaign to raise awareness seems to be helping, at least for medical workers.

When Arisa Kadono tested positive and was hospitalised in early April, she was only identified as a woman in her 20s in food business. Soon, friends let her know that groundless rumours were circulating: that the family-run bar she helps with was a hotbed of virus; and that she was sneaking out of the hospital and spreading the virus. "It was as if I was a criminal."

Medical workers risking their lives to care for patients are a main target, but people working at grocery stores, delivering parcels and carrying out other essential jobs also are facing harassment. So are their family members.

A nurse was approached by a few mothers and asked to leave a Tokyo park she was visiting with her children. Some nurses are unwelcome at restaurants they usually eat at. The husband of another was told at a job interview he wouldn't be hired because of his wife's job.

In Mie, central Japan, people threw stones at a patient's house and vandalized property. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and other officials have denounced such behaviour.

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