Japanese island is hit by a second wave of coronavirus after ending three-week lockdown

A Japanese island has been hit by a second wave of coronavirus after having raised its lockdown, the Daily Mail reported.

The northern region of Hokkaido elevated its lockdown on March 19 so that businesses and schools could resume.

However, barely 26 days later, the island has re-enforced its lockdown as 135 new cases were recorded in one week.

Dr. Kiyoshi Nagase, chairman of the Hokkaido Medical Association, said to  TIME: ‘Now I regret it, we should not have lifted the first state of emergency.

‘It really may not be until next year that we can safely lift these lockdowns.

The local government had estimated the influence immigration would have on the spread of coronavirus on the island but had not taken into account domestic migration.

Yoko Tsukamoto, a professor of infection control at the Health Sciences University of Hokkaido said that with hindsight, the lockdown lift was too early.

‘At the time, we didn’t have enough information and we did not have an adequate understanding of this disease, the Mail added.