Consideration of the Regional Concept of COVID-19 Movement Restrictions

As part of the movement restrictions imposed to curtail the spread of COVID-19, Japanese residents were requested to refrain from travel between prefectures. This paper considers these movement restrictions from a regional point of view. Regions where COVID-19 infection is widespread are considered to be uniform. One of the main factors in the spread of Covid-19 is human mobility. The range of human activity is considered to be the nodal point. However, when movement regulations were established by the government, they were imposed on a formal regional basis, using prefectural borders as clear boundaries, although there were no means of legal enforcement. This resulted in a regional discrimination, that was particularly detrimental to rural areas. This paper proposes that movement restrictions based on the concept of each nodal region of movement within the sphere of daily necessities are realistic in cases where legal enforcement is not in play.Alternate abstract:抄録 新型コロナウイルス感染症（COVID-19）の感染拡大に伴う移動規制では，「都道府県をまたいだ移動の自粛」が要請された．本稿では，この移動規制に対して地域概念から考察した．COVID-19感染拡大地域は，等質地域とみなせる．また感染拡大要因は，人間の移動という結節地域単位で生じる事象である．しかし国による移動規制は，法的強制力がない中での都道府県境という明確な境界設定による形式地域単位での対策であった．その結果，地方圏を中心に地域的な差別の助長を生んだ．本稿は，法的強制力がない中では，「日常的な生活圏の範囲内での移動」という結節地域単位の考えに基づく移動規制が現実的であることを提言する．