「3密」概念の誕生と変遷: 日本のcovid-19対策とコミュニケーションの問題

The concept of “three Cs” (situations characterized by three conditions of closed space with poor ventilation, crowding, and close contact with a short distance) has played an important role in Japan's COVID-19 response. The government and experts have employed this concept to guide people in avoiding such situations in order to prevent outbreaks. To investigate the emergence and modification of this concept, the author traced government documents. The findings were as follows. (1) On February 29, 2020, the government, for the first time, appealed to the public to avoid places with the three overlapping conditions. (2) On March 18, a new Japanese phrase was coined that was later translated as “the (overlapping) three Cs.” (3) On April 1, experts defined the term as a place that satisfied all the three conditions. (4) On April 7, the government modified the definition to include places with at least one of the three conditions. (5) However, the government and experts have not explained the difference between the two definitions to the public. (6) Rather, they insist that their policy on the need for avoiding these three conditions has been consistent and unchanged. Their conduct has led to miscommunication and misunderstanding among the public.