July 12, 2022
To the people of Ehime,

Raising the Alert Level to a Special Alert Periodfor the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Since late June, COVID-19 has spread rapidly in various settings withinvarious age groups in Ehime, including at schools, child/senior carefacilities, workplaceｓ, meal gatherings, and sporting events. Moreover,there have been many cases of individuals disregarding the preventive
measures and dining restrictions necessary for resuming socioeconomicactivities. Meanwhile, the daily number of cases has exceeded that of thesame day the previous week for the 24th consecutive day, and just today,
the number of reported cases has exceeded 1,000, thus marking thebeginning of an unprecedented seventh wave.
In addition, there has even been a confirmed case of the Omicronsubvariant BA.5 in the prefecture. The BA.5 strain is 1.2 times morecontagious than the currently dominant BA.2, and four times more likely
to evade the immune system’s defenses. There is a strong concern thatthe BA.5 strain will rapidly replace the BA.2 strain as people visit to theirhometowns or travel for events and summer vacations, leading to thefurther spread of infection.
Furthermore, as of today, the occupancy rate of hospital beds for
COVID-19 patients in Ehime is at 36%, and the medical burden on
healthcare providers has greatly increased. We have promptly begun
coordinating with each institution on an emergency measure to increase
the number of beds from the current 307 to a maximum of 360.
In response to this situation, the alert level will be raised to a “SpecialAlert Period,” effective immediately.
We cannot yet consider this rise in cases to yet be the peak given thesituation in other prefectures where the wave had already begun. Until
now, Ehime has been able to balance resuming socioeconomic activities
and preventive measures, but we are currently on the verge of being
forced to prioritize strengthening measures and diverge from this “newnormal.”If the infection continues to spread and the medical burden increases tothe point where it directly impacts the lives of residents, we will have nochoice but to transition to an “Infection Control Period” and begin
enforcing stricter measures, including the cancellation of events such asnight markets, summer festivals, and fireworks shows. It is extremely
important that each and every one of us reanalyze our actions, place astronger emphasis on avoiding infection, and continue to practice
preventive measures.

At this time, we ask everyone to take the following preventivemeasures:
Events➢ Participants are required to thoroughly practice preventive measureswhen attending events.
・ Avoid talking or eating without a mask.
・ Be especially careful before and after events during activities
such as meal gatherings and karaoke sessions.
Dining Out➢ Follow dining rules and regulations. Be especially careful atgatherings that involve alcohol consumption.
➢ After attending a meal gathering, be careful of transmitting anything
to those around you. (Check your physical condition before and after
dining out, and make use of free COVID-19 testing.)
Precautions for Older Adults➢ Older adults and their family members who are at a higher risk ofserious illness should refrain from activities with high risk ofinfection, such as going to crowded places.
➢ Restrictions on visits to older adults in senior care facilities will bestrengthened.
Precautions for Everyone
In response to the increase in cases and close contact infections,➢ Everyone should secure about 3 days’ worth of food and water in
addition to preparations made in case of a disaster.
Finally, those who are eligible are urged to make an appointment for thevaccine before the summer holidays in order to reduce the spread andprevent serious illness.
Tokihiro NAKAMURA
Governor of Ehime Prefecture