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Experts meet on how to prevent Go To campaign from spreading coronavirus

59 Comments
By Christopher Gallagher

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Call me old fashioned, but surely you don't need experts to tell you that encouraging Tourism during a Pandemic isn't the wisest of moves.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

I’ve got a great idea on how to stop the spread of COVID; stop the campaign. It’s just madness.

please, please PLEASE do not come to Okinawa.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

They seem to have a lot of experts with no expertise in this country. Please allow this amateur to help: You don't want to have a child? Don't have sex. You don't want to spread the coronavirus? Don't have this campaign. Call on me anytime.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

There appears not to be an infectious disease expert on the government's so-called expert advisory panel supposedly advising the government.

Kenji Shibuya, director of the Institute of Population Health at King's College, London: "this is not a scientific panel but simply another government committee managed by bureaucrats"

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Whoever is making these ill thought out plans for Japan needs to resign.

The average high school student could do way better!

2 ( +2 / -0 )

No Olympics, who comes moaning? JTB and Dentsu (AGAIN!) What do the oyajis come up with to get money to them? BINGO Go To Travel. No, Take Our Money more like. Obvious!

The nation’s health put at risk for greedy, greedy, JTB and Dentsu

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Why don’t they promote the Olympics while they’re at it!

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

The gov't should just give the money directly to the tourist industry businesses, and encourage people to stay home.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Japan is inspired by the ingenious Trump attitude who’s also just thinking about reopening the economy rather than protecting the population. Shame to both of these government!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

A lot of idiots making stupid decisions around the world right now. Japan seems to be no exception. Noone thinks this is a good idea.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

I wonder if any 'expert' will dare to tell the prime minister that locking down Now, eliminating the virus as best possible Now, will ensure that the Olympics will be held Later, like Next year.

On the other hand, uncontrolled spreading of the virus via your imbecilic 'Go To' campaign will almost assure the cancellation of the Olympics.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

From another article today.

TThe train is not crowded and I don't worry how people at my hometown perceive me, but my wife seems to be worried about me," he said.

This sums up the stupidity of the

situation perfectly people are afraid of the stigma not the virus.

Young people with less to lose socially and economicaly are going out, enjoying themselves and thankfully spending money. If they get sick they have rightly figured out themselves or their family dying is not zero but at the worst 0.6%(according to the most comprehensive research, google geneva coronavirus if your interested).

Hopefully the rest of us will figure it out too in the near future.

Me personally, I want to travel this summer but the expected disapprovement from my clients is stopping me, not the virus. I hope you can see the difference.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Ridiculous and they expect us to swallow this dribble, yeah right, experts on what? WHat are they experts in , meetings and talking rubbish related to nothing helpful or how to manage the situation other than wearing arm bands so they can identify they are in the same expert group having tea served at some resort paid for by the tax payers.

How about some cluts makes a real live decision and says this joke stupid plan has been shelved and we are not going through with the Go To Campaign, but it will be post poned until after the situation has stabilised and then we will be promoting it with vigor.

Now that wasn't so hard was it !

3 ( +3 / -0 )

I don't see why it can't be delayed a bit, or it could be limited to certain regions," said Ryuta Ibaragi, governor of Okayama Prefecture, which has had just 29 infections out of Japan's total tally of 23,000 cases.

Lets look at Okayama pref, pop almost 2M, number of corona virus related calls to the welfare centers etc 45,632 calls. Total number of people tested 2094 that is 0.001% number of infected cases 29.

0.001% tested is like the geneal trend in almost every prefecture in japan. The numbers being low is not difficult to understand,

0 ( +0 / -0 )

A Japanese campaign to boost domestic tourism faced scrutiny on Thursday with the economy minister due to meet experts as critics worried that encouraging people to travel out of Tokyo risks spreading the coronavirus.

Tokyo is being castigated for taking testing to 2 nightlife districts and ramped up testing a bit per japan model standard and that has led to an increase in numbers whereas the other cities with similar nightlife districts have done nothing while pointing fingers at tokyo. Osaka for the first time tested more one thousand and returned 65 new cases. Test and you will find.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Oh dear! Do I need to step in and tell them what to do? Again? Cancel, lockdown etc.etc.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Experts meet on how to prevent Go To campaign from spreading coronavirus

You cancel the campaign. How easy was that!

Japan has not seen the kind of explosive spread of the coronavirus that has killed tens of thousands in other countries. 

Here we go again!

Every. Single. Article.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

This really pisses me off.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Somewhere in the distant future, in a far off galaxy, another Eikawa hologram on the Abe Maru

Blondie McGaibot: "What did you do for Obon?"

Gucci Lexus (named for her parents' favourite brandlore™): "I went to travel!

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

"We hope the Go To campaign supports tourism and the food and beverage industry and brings about a social and economic recovery so that the regions can escape this severe situation," Suga told a news conference.

Suga has said something extremely sugoi. I mean what even? You'd ask to wear mask, be at home and at the same time ask to travel just for the sake of "economic recovery" I am sorry but this is plain stupidity

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

In my expert opinion, the best way for this campaign to avoid the spread of covid is to simply change one word in the name. Instead, let's call it the "Go To Hospital" campaign. This has the added benefit of making sense grammatically.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

LessDeceived, Damn “AutoCorrect”.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

The selfish will travel. And, just because you wear a mask doesn’t mean you can’t spread it. Stay away campaign is a much better solution.

However, I feel people will still head out of the city and destroy everything. It’s in their selfish nature. The ignorance is mind-boggling.

8 ( +8 / -0 )

The Kanji of the year for 2020 certainly has to be "Experts".

3 ( +3 / -0 )

How about offering the discount on holidays booked and paid for now, but taken later? We do not want to spread the virus over all Japan.

An alternative would be to give some businesses compensation based on last year's sales. Many minshuku, ryokan and others would be happy to receive 50% of last year's sales. That might actually mean they make more profit than they did last year if they don't have to provide services such as food, cleaning and so on.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Has anyone concerned about the campaign thought about just booking out hotel rooms and claiming the cost back anyway? That would stop people travelling even if the government didn't do anything to stop it

What I heard is you may get 50% the price of a room or travel... so yeah book it and don’t turn up and consider the 50% you do pay a donation to the hotel.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Don't Go To. Avoiding unnecessary travel is one of the first steps.......

4 ( +5 / -1 )

Got an AirBnb sorted for my summer trip. I’ll wear a mask

-10 ( +0 / -10 )

Just freaking cancel the campaign, you can't have your cake and eat it too.

7 ( +8 / -1 )

“All summer travel needs to be stopped or Japan will spend the next year battling this virus”

Lots of nightlife workers were tested and - what did we expect?

It’s but a fraction of what is likely the real number.

But if we leave the tourism industry to fend for itself this year it will go under.

Asymptomatic people will also not get tested due to the cultural stigma of being found positive

5 ( +5 / -0 )

Japan’s tourism industries have been suffocating for 4 months. Something has to be done.

-11 ( +1 / -12 )

They need yet another panel of so-called ‘experts’ to decide this? They have to be kidding, right? Japan is not ready to give up on travel restrictions and promote holidays due to the large number of infections, in Tokyo especially. All summer travel needs to be stopped or Japan will spend the next year battling this virus. The only countries that have succeeded in controlling the virus are those that took strict and drastic action against the transmission of the virus. Japan has not done that.

5 ( +6 / -1 )

Government...“So experts, how can we encourage travel and tourism while at the same time NOT spreading the virus?”

Experts..” You can’t.”

Government...”DOOH!... here’s you massive consultancy fee.

7 ( +7 / -0 )

They should not be promoting tourism, even domestic tourism, until Tokyo gets control of the pandemic. And it seems impossible to happen.

11 ( +11 / -0 )

Another "Expert" Pannel please grow up, if you need a Pannel to advise you, you are probably not suited to your position. A normal person would I think say holy crap stay at home.but have to wait for a newpanel of experts to say travel everything is OK, Not an expert not on a panel but even I can see this is seriously bad advice.

11 ( +11 / -0 )

The world is in a mess. Good things in the past turned bad things. They are saying you can go on a trip but keep social distance, do not get together, do not have parties and when you eat, do not talk, wear masks etc. etc. We are living in an awful time.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

Radical idea here, but why don't we just postpone it to around 2022-ish?

6 ( +8 / -2 )

Go to jail. Do not pass GO. Do not collect 10 man yen.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

Once I go and get my ワクチン, give me a pamphlet with travel discounts on the way out. Thanks boo

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Any expert who dares to say anything against the government have already been fired.

The new expert board is just a bunch of yes-men and for show.

The only conclusion that can come out of this “discussion” would be national government is and always will be 100% correct and there is zero risk of transmission from the go to campaign

12 ( +12 / -0 )

"We hope the Go To campaign supports tourism and the food and beverage industry and brings about a social and economic recovery so that the regions can escape this severe situation," Suga told a news conference.

Right....

7 ( +9 / -2 )

It’s not going to make any difference. People will get the virus, recover from it, then be on their way again.

It’s seriously getting out of control, this virus stuff

-24 ( +5 / -29 )

You couldnt make this stuff up! Hilarious!

18 ( +18 / -0 )

“Experts”. LOL.

23 ( +23 / -0 )

I am promoting the DO NOT GO TO Iwate travel campaign. In my town alone, 1/3 of our population is over 65 and the virus would wreck havoc on our community.

People don't have any sense of how to deal with a crisis. You need to travel? Really? We are in the middle of a pandemic. Wait until there is a vaccine in place

25 ( +26 / -1 )

"spread the virus through regions that have been relatively lightly hit" = regions that have not been tested.

5 ( +11 / -6 )

Easy solution is to postpone the campaign.

28 ( +28 / -0 )

How about don’t encourage travel!!

29 ( +30 / -1 )

it is apparent Japan values tourism revenue more than the welfare of its citizens, also end the ridiculous hotel system of charring per person per room per night so tourists can afford to travel. I propose hotels overseas charge Japanese visitors the same way they charge us here - see how it feels.

24 ( +25 / -1 )

Just set up testing areas in each prefecture at stations and road stops to test people from out of the area and charge each person 5000 yen.

If the travel is discounted then who can complain?

-5 ( +7 / -12 )

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