This Japanese Island Lifted Its Coronavirus Lockdown Too Soon and Became a Warning to the World time.com

But, when the governor lifted restrictions, a second wave of infections hit even harder.
“Now I regret it, we should not have lifted the first state of emergency,” Dr. Kiyoshi Nagase, chairman of the Hokkaido Medical Association, tells TIME.
In March, Hokkaido Governor Naomichi Suzuki grappled with whether to maintain the lockdown and endure more economic pain, or lift it and risk the health consequences.
The island had 279 reported cases, an increase of about 80% from when the governor lifted the first lockdown less than a month before.
National officials have advised people to stay put and Suzuki, the Hokkaido governor, has warned against non-essential outings.