Anxiety among majority of people due to COVID-19, finds Japanese govt survey

Tokyo [Japan], December 27 : A Japanese government survey has found that there is anxiety among a majority of people due to COVID-19 pandemic.
The online survey done by the country's health ministry in September covered over 10,000 people, in which the government asked them how the pandemic affected their mental health, NHK World reported.
The results released earlier this month show that nearly half of the participants were concerned throughout the survey period between February and September. The number reached its peak between the month of April and May.
According to the Japan Broadcasting Corporation, this trend is in "tandem with the pace of infections."
On a question about what worried the participants throughout the pandemic, over 60 per cent expressed fear that they and their families could be infected. Answering a question about any change in lifestyle, as many as 39.1 per cent said they have been exercising less since the start of the virus.
As per the country's public broadcaster, the survey supports arguments that the COVID-19 has put a psychological strain on the public. In view of the impact caused by the pandemic, the country's health ministry said they will step up measures to provide psychological care.
According to Johns Hopkins University, there 218,453 cases of infection in the country. Starting Monday, Japan will suspend entry of foreigners to contain the spread of a new strain of virus first discovered in the United Kingdom, the Kyodo news agency reported.
On Friday, Japan has registered the first cases of the new strain of the coronavirus. The country is also seeing record daily infections of the original coronavirus for the fourth day on end.
The media outlet stressed that all Japanese nationals would be obliged to submit negative COVID-19 test results received within 72 hours before their departure from any country that had confirmed cases of the mutant virus.