This working paper develops a governance-based theoretical framework for analyzing the long-term normalization of hospital visitor restrictions introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic. The paper introduces the concepts of Prolonged Precaution Drift (PPD) and Relational Rights Displacement (RRD) to describe how emergency infection-control measures can become administratively entrenched without renewed proportional justification. Japan is examined as a high-visibility case of precautionary normalization within hierarchical clinical governance structures. The analysis integrates proportionality theory, public health ethics, and empirical literature concerning visitation policies and clinical outcomes. This work is intended as a theoretical foundation document. Subsequent shorter commentaries and viewpoint articles will build upon and cite this framework.
George Kujo (Tue,) studied this question.