"Go To Travel" Campaign and Travel-Associated Coronavirus Disease 2019 Cases: A Descriptive Analysis, July-August 2020.

Asami Anzai,Hiroshi Nishiura

doi:10.3390/jcm10030398

Abstract

The Japanese government initiated the Go To Travel campaign on 22 July 2020, offering deep discounts on hotel charges and issuing coupons to be used for any consumption at travel destinations in Japan. In the present study, we aimed to describe the possible epidemiological impact of the tourism campaign on increasing travel-associated cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the country. We compared the incidence rates of travel-associated and tourism-related cases prior to and during the campaign. The incidence of travel-associated COVID-19 cases during the tourism campaign was approximately three times greater than the control period 22 June to 21 July 2020 and approximately 1.5 times greater than the control period of 15 to 19 July. The incidence owing to tourism was approximately 8 times and 2–3 times greater than the control periods of 22 June to 21 July and 15 to 19 July, respectively. Although the second epidemic wave in Japan had begun to decline by mid-August, enhanced domestic tourism may have contributed to increasing travel-associated COVID-19 cases during 22 to 26 July, the early stage of the Go To Travel campaign.

Highlights

IntroductionAs of 1 November 2020, Japan had recorded a total of 99,959 confirmed cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), including 1765 deaths [1]
Disease 2019 Cases: A DescriptiveAs of 1 November 2020, Japan had recorded a total of 99,959 confirmed cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), including 1765 deaths [1]
We analyzed surveillance-based datasets containing information of travel-associated cases of COVID-19 infection, prior to and during the Go To Travel campaign, and we compared the incidence rate of travel-associated cases and those travelling for tourism purposes

Summary

Introduction

As of 1 November 2020, Japan had recorded a total of 99,959 confirmed cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), including 1765 deaths [1]. Following the end of the first wave, a resurgence of COVID19 cases was seen from late June in urban prefectures, most notably in Tokyo and Osaka; the reported number of confirmed cases reached 1595 cases per day on 7 August 2020. The incidence of COVID-19 peaked between late July and early August in many prefectures; the prevalence of hospital admissions peaked on 10 August with 13,724 cases and declined. Japan is facing a third epidemic wave, with a marked resurgence in the number of COVID-19 infections beginning in early October 2020 [1]

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