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Japan looks to expand COVID quasi-emergency to Tokyo, 10 other prefectures

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What does stopping serving alcohol actually do to prevent covid?

47 ( +59 / -12 )

Completely pointless. They've had two years to expand hospital capacity. I suspect capacity is actually down, not up.

I actually hope everyone ignores this request.

37 ( +50 / -13 )

What ever vaccine opinion you have we need to start to live with this, this in out attitude just grinds people down.

Exactly. What protections against the virus does another State of Emergency actually provide? Or is it simply window-dressing giving the appearance that our political leaders are actually doing something to help.

31 ( +36 / -5 )

Yep, no surprises, demonize alcohol again as it worked so well last time. They have absolutely nothing other than to repeat nonsensical ideas that didn't work before.

So the coffee shops are rammed full of people, buses and trains crammed shoulder to shoulder yet me having a lunchtime beer while my wife eats will be outlawed again.

28 ( +43 / -15 )

Definition of insanity

26 ( +37 / -11 )

Both Tokyo and Osaka marthons due next month.

The return of the J league presumably with a spectator cap, the numbers are going to surge.

What ever vaccine opinion you have we need to start to live with this, this in out attitude just grinds people down.

22 ( +28 / -6 )

looks to expand

considering

possible declaration

health experts have noted the need to consider

that's what I like to see, quick decision-making and definitive action....

(⌒▽⌒)

21 ( +30 / -9 )

Who really does care anymore at this point in the 2 year ball game! It’s time to live again or get a proper vaccine. For those vaccinated at least. The economy nor society can take another week of this crap!

“mo ii”

20 ( +23 / -3 )

It stops people sitting together in close proximity without masks for extended periods of time, shouting and laughing and expelling droplets. 

You have never been to a Starbucks in Shibuya full of teenagers then.

20 ( +24 / -4 )

This current variant is the weakest of them all. There is no reason to shut anything down. People can protect themselves by using common sense. We have to learn to live with this…and we will whether we like it or not. Life is risk. The show must go on.

19 ( +26 / -7 )

Who cares anymore???!

18 ( +31 / -13 )

But wait until the end of the work day on Friday?

Guess the virus has agreed that you will be protected for 4 more round trips to work this week as long you go right back home when work is over.

15 ( +20 / -5 )

Inevitable, But the same Bars and Restaurants will stay open as last time and be just as busy, if not more so as last time. I see no mention of financial relief for them in any other reports this time round. Just a fine of up to 200,000 Yen. The independent eateries will look at their Financials and probably decide better to pay up and ignore the request.

14 ( +23 / -9 )

Omicron is the end of the pandemic.

14 ( +23 / -9 )

Lets just live with it without stupid alcohol restrictions and bans. I just got the symptoms yesterday and will get tested today and so far not as bad as a cold. Not looking forward to isolating for 10 days but best to do so.

13 ( +17 / -4 )

yesterday there were 4 deaths because of covid nationwide.

is this reason for some kind of "emergency"?

large part of population is vaccinated=protected against covid/according to 2 years news load from media/so dont need worry about these people.

unvaccinated part of population may be affected by omicron but yes again-there was just one death caused my omicron in whole Japan all the time.most of cases are mild ones.

once again-why this panic?sorry I dont get it.

and one more question-what is relationship of covid with serving of alcohol?what kind of "science" is that?

just wondering...

9 ( +13 / -4 )

Ignore the Japanese Quasi Government. They are all inept at their jobs.

8 ( +20 / -12 )

Here we go again. Rinse and repeat. Covid don’t care what time of the day you’r dining out and drinking beer. I guess we will see more drunks on the train with beers in there hands. What I hope is that people work from home instead. Trains are a clusters infecting with zero social distance. Oh well.

8 ( +14 / -6 )

What are the exact numbers of the debt of Japan?

I know prior to the pandemic Japan was almost bankrupt, in2020 alone they spent over 2 trillion yen on handouts and lockdowns!

they can no longer sustain the economy! The cash handouts will create severe tax hikes. Yet the other day kishiida said he would raise the wage of workers! It’s not possible, just another comment by a politician trying to give hope but it’s truly impossible to do such a thing!

time to get back to work and the knuckleheads that aren’t vaccinated, well that’s their fault and for the ones who are vaccinated, you did your best! Let the cards fall where they fall!

but open up the frigging economy FFS!

7 ( +12 / -5 )

Man, I really hope they don't stop selling alcohol at restaurants.

7 ( +9 / -2 )

What happened to learning to live with the virus?!

PATHETIC!!

Another attack on bars and restaurants......we are lead to believe these are the major vectors of spread and not the cheek to jowl rush hour trains that we cram onto everyday......spread of a disease that has mellowed significantly with the roll out of vaccinations. THIS IS A HUGE WASTE OF TIME AND MONEY. Use that money to create more health facilities. Force private hospitals to accept covid patients.....there is NO shortage of beds, there are plenty empty hospital beds in private facilities.

Thankfully there will always be bars and restaurants that will continue to open and I will frequent them much as I did last time with no fear for this disease.

6 ( +15 / -9 )

So what? The compliance rate has been declining with every so-called SoE request. And it will further decline this time. Right so.

So no change for those like me who never played the Covid game only once during the past two years.

As I said before, the only good thing is you will see 10-30% fewer people on the streets and less traffic congestion. A win-win situation both for the believers and the rationally thinking critics alike.

6 ( +8 / -2 )

No.

Zero compliance from me as these measures just do not work…

6 ( +12 / -6 )

The quasi-something will be meaningless. Give the vulnerable another jab and get on with the living. No need to go to the hospital with minor or no symptoms. Stay home if you are afraid. Stop the nonsense.

6 ( +9 / -3 )

Fear mongering, irrational thinking and refusing to look at science and real data is pushing completely ridiculous decisions that at this point can be qualified as harassment of the population. There are already a bunch of scientific studies (in UK and South Africa) that show the last variant is really not problematic even with a high number of positive cases. The last major study done in US dates as early as last week:

https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.01.11.22269045v1.full.pdf

Real observations with real data for several countries who have had already their peak also confirm that the last variant is not problematic. So real world facts. The virus is following a path known for all emergent respiratory virus observed so far. An increase of contagiosity associated with a decrease of the pathogenicity from the original strain. That's how biological selection has always worked to preserve the existence of a such virus.

But we are still hearing the same fear driven reactions. This COVID circus if anything has shown one thing. That science and rationality is quickly forgotten in nations where fear, sentimentalism and the politically correct have taken ground in order to justify in many of them totalitarian decisions unimaginable only two years ago.

5 ( +10 / -5 )

I do think its offensive/vulgar that we have been lied to and misled during this whole 2 year "journey" of COVID. I have never seen "experts" be more wrong, nor "non partisan" people act in a more partisan political manner in my life.

The people have had enough and want to get on with their lives without governmental interference or mandate. If you dont want to go outside, then dont.

5 ( +11 / -6 )

As long as my favorite joint for steak and craft beer ignores the SOE as they did last time, I don't really care about any government requests, they will be duly ignored.

5 ( +9 / -4 )

This is like, injury on the leg surgery on the chest.

Do something for crowded trains. Please

4 ( +8 / -4 )

If they simply stopped testing we wouldn't even notice there was a "pandemic"

200 people in hospital for a respiratory infection in January in Japan is a normal annual occurance.

Exactly. I'm sure there have been some much harsher corona viruses circulating before that were never tested for. I've had much much worse colds that never seemed to go away. Omicron is nothing to write home about.

4 ( +6 / -2 )

Closing restaurants and bars will do nothing to stop the spread of the Omicron variant. The fact remains that the virus is here to stay and will keep on mutating, if lucky it gets weaker but it will never go away so the Japanese government did a somewhat decent job in increasing bed capacity but it shluld have done much more. Boosters for teachers, transport, logistic, hospital and energy workers shoudl already be finished, Europe has booster rates of over 50% and japan still below 1%. Another emergency will cull the economy big time. Japan needs to act and not always react. They need to look to the UK and keep the world turning, we need to live with this virus, or do they want to keep this repeating itself over and over again for the next what? 1 year? 5 years? 10 years??

4 ( +5 / -1 )

@Wobot, Is it Groundhog Day? yep, at least for the next decade if they've their say....

4 ( +5 / -1 )

quasi emergency is same as to say i am a "little pregnant"....

4 ( +6 / -2 )

Maybe you just go home too early :-)

True that! Bedtime has started to match the time that COVID wakes up, 8pm.

4 ( +6 / -2 )

@Blacklabel

The few "deaths" that can be attributed to Omicron are for elderly with multiple co-morbidities. In other words, it isn't lethal. It can cause complications for the very weak, but that's about it. Flu is worse.

In terms of establishing herd immunity, Omicron is a gift. The closed borders and restrictions won't stop it. COVID gives government a chance to show it is "doing something" plus attempt to implement undesirable social programs.

4 ( +6 / -2 )

But they said this was an effort that required other measures as well, and very obviously they even warned that variants could change very importantly how effective the vaccines would be.

Nope. Cut and dried. No other measures and no talk about variants.

get vaccinated you will not get or transmit COVID. you don’t be hospitalized. You won’t die.

It was very clearly told. None of this after the fact of that they “meant” just to try to match what has happened. It’s what they said

3 ( +5 / -2 )

Under a quasi-emergency, governors can request that dining establishments shorten their business hours and stop serving alcohol. 

So the same meaningless nonsense as before? Making restauirants more crowded until 8pm, when the dreaded virus (which hates alcohol) wakes up? Groan....

3 ( +6 / -3 )

No antiquesaving

There is a twist in the categories as people without boosters X months after their second doses are considered unvaccinated...

Also the counts need to include other comorbidities as well...

3 ( +6 / -3 )

They can all sod off. Have they not learned that restricting alcohol does nothing? Alcohol doesn't cause the spread of Covid. They've had 2 years to get their act together and put some proper measures in place or at least rewrite the Constitution to allow for some proper measures but noooooo...they still decide to half-ass everything and rely on "requests". Pathetic. Establishments aren't going to comply this time; their livelihoods are literally at stake.

2 ( +8 / -6 )

eg, hugging, kissing & generally touching other people

I don’t know what kind of restaurants you go to, but that doesn’t happen where I go. sounds fun though!

Maybe you are talking about “the Hub” or something? But I don’t even see that there.

2 ( +7 / -5 )

The woman who sadly died was described as “at least” in her 90s with circulatory disease.

the man was “elderly” with “several” pre existing conditions.

They both appear to have been vaccinated. the other 2 there is no information available.

2 ( +6 / -4 )

virusrex

This is contradicted by the available evidence, not only it is much more risky than being vaccinated, the immunity it produces is much weaker than what is gained by a booster for other variants, so it is expected to be also much shorter. The "gift" would be like a weaker, much more risky vaccine.

And of course you can not link to any "evidence" for this, other than opinion articles in the corporate media.

2 ( +6 / -4 )

Covid is spreading not because vaccines don't work.

It's spreading now even though vaccines are working.

Vaccines worked well with delta and prior variants, it's not working as well now.

But if you want to check if there's really a difference, compare the mortality rate of infected people that are unvaccinated to the vaccinated.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

Antiquesaving

Vaccines are working and keeping people out of the hospital.

"Keeping people out of hospital" is different from "immunizing against infection" which was the original claim. See the shifting goal posts?

2 ( +6 / -4 )

@savethegaijin: Nothing - It just make the restaurants that stay open busier. AND - they are the restaurants that have been the busiest since the restrictions were lifted in October, funnily enough.

1 ( +8 / -7 )

So many thought bubbles ...so little thought!

1 ( +6 / -5 )

The vaccine was always only about reducing severity of the disease in such a way that it is even more survivable.....unfortunately there will always be people who are outliers and disease and viruses will affect disproportionally more than the general population....and mostly that's a roulette wheel as to who these people are. There are health indicators of course, but nothing is 100% accurate in predicting. The cold hard numbers are that this kills 1-2% of those who get it......we now have vaccines and oral treatments that mitigate the most severe of the symptoms to that of a cold or flu. There is NO need to go to hospital if you have a fever, cough or sniffles......just stay home until it passes. If you have breathing difficulties or other more severe reactions then of course seek help, but lets not just panic and head down A&E because of a runny nose. This has ALWAYS been the advice, but in the advent of the vaccinations, this should be getting hammered home by every medical professional and politician around the world......this is now a perennial virus like influenza that we will simply live with. Settle down and carry on

1 ( +8 / -7 )

Japan should take notice of what other countries are doing and just let'er rip!

1 ( +8 / -7 )

It only looks that way to people that actively refuse to recognize reality, with experts and doctors in every country clearly demonstrating the value of vaccines preventing COVID and specially the most dangerous complication.

It only looks that way because IT IS that way. And that’s the reality that “experts and doctors” in every country are realizing at a great cost: And the historic lack of trust in their understanding and management of public health.

It has been seen for months. Except by the data-hesitant.

1 ( +5 / -4 )

if you dont want to go to a restaurant after 8pm, dont. If not any customers, it will close early by itself.

If you dont want to drink alcohol after 7pm in a public setting, dont. If no one wants alcohol, they wont order it.

if you dont want to be around drunks, dont go to a place that serves it.

Why does the government need to be involved again?

1 ( +9 / -8 )

In terms of establishing herd immunity, Omicron is a gift.

Yes, Omicron is indeed a gift. Omicron waves have wiped Delta out in a number of countries. It produces very mild symptoms, if any, while providing robust and broad immunity, that will likely be long lasting. Places that have done most poorly are those that have relied heavily on monovalent vaccines, that only produce antibodies towards that one target protein that is mutating heavily.

1 ( +5 / -4 )

emergency for 3 weeks! because we know its gonna take that long.

Im sure it will end on a Monday, of that I am nearly certain.

as far as the "no one ever said" people........

I have posted so many times where experts, scientists, media and the government/politicians have said it. So its more " you dont want to believe they said it, but they did".

1 ( +5 / -4 )

Virusrex

There is no consensus at this time that Omicron or vaccines provide better immunity.

1 ( +5 / -4 )

*They should

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Maybe you are talking about “the Hub” or something? But I don’t even see that there.

Maybe you just go home too early :-)

0 ( +4 / -4 )

“You have nothing to fear if you are young and healthy.” They said.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

equally that will also tell you something =)

0 ( +3 / -3 )

It's fair to assume that all statistics are being manipulated to show the vaccine in favourable light but some things can't be hidden for long.

Thanks for providing info.

However if the mindset or assumption from the beginning is manipulated that would put conclusions immediately into questions.

Better to find evidence of manipulation first if you wanna pursue that avenue

0 ( +3 / -3 )

Tokyo Gov Yuriko Koike revealed that the occupancy rate of hospital beds for COVID-19 patients in the Japanese capital surpassed the 20 percent threshold required to seek quasi-emergency steps.

They monitor the rate of increase and not some fixed threshold. Have they learned nothing?

-1 ( +3 / -4 )

Be reasonable. Many young and working age people have suffered and died of effects of covid restrictions while a very small number of people in Japan have died of covid in average 82 or much older. Local as well as global empirical data suggest that dominant Omicron symptoms and casualties are much closer to common flu's.

In Tokyo there are only 5 serious patients, 200+ nationwide. 2 dead reported yesterday. Why are (again) healthcare resources easily overwhelmed?? Why not stopping treating covid like deadly infectious like SARS or Ebola? That arrangement is self-choking.

-1 ( +5 / -6 )

Evidently density has a high positive correlation with the spread. Time to live in a house with a Japanese tea garden.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

It's like installing an alarm system and citing that as the reason your house isn't burglarized.

No need to speculate.

If you really wanna know , check police data on thefts/robberies there maybe info on presence or absence of alarm at burglarized residences.

Same vein, you can find if it's true that far more unvaccinated are getting severe symptoms and dying than unvaccinated by checking pertinent data

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

 A pregnant woman who does not feel comfortable with getting a COVID vaccine in light of zero long-term studies about the effects on an unborn child is not "anti science". 

Yes it is anti-science, because the evidence is clear, COVID increase very importantly the risk of premature birth, low weight, losing the pregnancy and even increases over 20 times the risk for the mother to die.

There is no realistic possibility the vaccines will ever have such strong negative effects, and on the other side there is a very high chance that the virus causes elevation of other risks that have not been identified yet but will be in the future. Viruses like Measles or Epstein-Barr have been with us since forever, but extra risks that come because of their infection are being discovered even now.

Thinking this huge risk from the infection and the safety demonstrated by the vaccines is just unreliable information is precisely an antiscientific way of thinking.

-1 ( +5 / -6 )

The vaccine was always only about reducing severity of the disease in such a way that it is even more survivable.....

Not true.

-2 ( +6 / -8 )

Nope. Cut and dried. No other measures and no talk about variants.

get vaccinated you will not get or transmit COVID. you don’t be hospitalized. You won’t die.

It was very clearly told. None of this after the fact of that they “meant” just to try to match what has happened. It’s what they said

Nothing if the sort was ever said.

Anti vaxxers are funny.

First they complained the vaccine was developed to quickly, then they complained that the manufacturers said the vaccines were only 70% to 90% effective ( don't remember that part?).

Now they are trying to claim the vaccine makers and specialist said the vaccines were 100%.

Hey make up your minds.

-2 ( +4 / -6 )

Yes, Omicron is indeed a gift. Omicron waves have wiped Delta out in a number of countries. It produces very mild symptoms, if any, while providing robust and broad immunity, that will likely be long lasting.

This is contradicted by the available evidence, not only it is much more risky than being vaccinated, the immunity it produces is much weaker than what is gained by a booster for other variants, so it is expected to be also much shorter. The "gift" would be like a weaker, much more risky vaccine.

This is the reason why the South African doctors that you have used as references strongly recommend people to be vaccinated, to avoid the risks that come with the opposite of a gift

There is a twist in the categories as people without boosters X months after their second doses are considered unvaccinated...

Not fully vaccinated is not the same as unvaccinated.

-2 ( +4 / -6 )

Japanese being first as usual.

Please bring out the antiviral drugs!

-3 ( +3 / -6 )

It really doesn’t matter what all the armchair experts here have to say, if your advice had been followed at any point in the pandemic there would have been major consequences.

If hospitalizations have crossed the previously agreed upon threshold then preventative measures will be enacted. Why is this seen as unreasonable? Very few rich countries have handled Covid as well as Japan.

Also, it’s interesting that those most bothered by these minor restrictions have an excessive love of alcohol and high levels of irritability.

-3 ( +2 / -5 )

The possible declaration will likely be effective for around three weeks from Friday, one of the sources said.

We're declaring an emergency... next week! They don't see the irony there.

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

What ever vaccine opinion you have we need to start to live with this, this in out attitude just grinds people down.

The problem is that people tolerated it. People did what the government told them. Many of us were "grinded down" three months into this garbage and realized the evident futility of it all.

You want to send a message to the Japanese govt, don't wear a mask. Don't get the booster. Support businesses that defy the dining curfews/alcohol bans.

-4 ( +16 / -20 )

What does stopping serving alcohol actually do to prevent covid?

It reduces the likelihood of people making poor decisions.

-4 ( +4 / -8 )

In terms of establishing herd immunity, Omicron is a gift. 

Not at all, if anything is the opposite, vaccines increase the immunity against the previous variants much more, and do it with much less risk, that means the "gift" does much worse than what we already have and much less safely.

Nope. Cut and dried. No other measures and no talk about variants.

Just because you want to believe it? that is not valid. Variants have been part of the warnings even before the vaccines were available, that means you are completely mistaken and again just misrepresent what the experts have said just to fit a complain that is not based on reality.

“The United States has been polio-free since 1979, thanks to a successful vaccination program. “

now you know.

That vaccines are responsible for the local eradication of the infection because nearly universal vaccination? that is well known, Now since the first polio vaccine was available from 1955 it means it only took 24 years to reach this eradication. And you complain the same has not been reached for COVID in one?

-4 ( +4 / -8 )

There is no consensus at this time that Omicron or vaccines provide better immunity.

There is already evidence being published, the increase on neutralizing antibodies for delta and other variants is mediocre after being infected by Omicron, and many times higher after a booster with mRNA vaccines.

If you have data that contradicts this you can present it, but if not the only conclusion at this moment is that the immunity produced by exposure to Omicron is much weaker, and likely also much shorter. This is congruent with what is observed in the opposite situation and the well know weaker immunity from mild or asymptomatic infection.

This was from today. 91% of deaths in New South Wales fully vaccinated according to the perpetually angry lady that seems to be in charge.

And how is the rate of deaths by detected cases compared with before vaccination? it is well known that the people given priority for vaccination are those with high risk of either infection and death, in many places they represented several tens of times more deaths than the population at low risk. If vaccines reduce this to only 9 times more that is huge, that means those extra deaths (necessary to make it tens of times more) have been prevented.

 "immunizing against infection" which was the original claim

Immunizing against infection is the best possible result from vaccination, and that is not achieved commonly (nor guaranteed) by any vaccine in the history of mankind. Why would it be the original claim for this vaccine when it has not been for any other?

And of course you can not link to any "evidence" for this, other than opinion articles in the corporate media.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/20/health/moderna-covid-booster-omicron.html

That is not an opinion but the release of information that clearly indicates a much higher immune response than what is achieved by getting infected by omicron, even if the results were inflated 10 times it would still be higher (and obviously this is not a realistic possibility) Do you have any report that contradicts this? because if not this is evidence, not opinion.

-4 ( +3 / -7 )

Yes, Omicron is indeed a gift. Omicron waves have wiped Delta out in a number of countries. It produces very mild symptoms, if any, while providing robust and broad immunity, that will likely be long lasting.

This is contradicted by the available evidence, not only it is much more risky than being vaccinated, the immunity it produces is much weaker than what is gained by a booster for other variants, so it is expected to be also much shorter.

If the immunity provided by Omicron is weaker, then why has it been so successful at eliminating Delta, I would say even greater than the vaccine's "success"?

Omicron clearly provides better immunity. And it is probably even safer than the vaccines.

They should let Omicron rip, while making various treatments available for those who need/want them.

What Koike (and others) should be doing above all else is urge everyone to make sure they have enough vitamin D (and zinc).

-4 ( +3 / -7 )

“What does stopping serving alcohol actually doto prevent covid?”

stopping serving alc does not prevent COVID or something like that but if no alc is served, there is less incentive for diners to be out and/or spend a long time dining in… so less exposure to enclosed environment and lower the risk of infection.

-5 ( +5 / -10 )

Inevitable, But the same Bars and Restaurants will stay open as last time and be just as busy, if not more so as last time

Now we kept hearing this from some here.

But as far as I could see only about 1 in 10 stayed open after the requested closing time, and then all over Japanese TV and social media they are featuring, snacks, Izakaya, restaurants, etc... From Kyushu to Hokkaido that barely made it through the last rounds of early closing and showing how most did close despite the hardships.

A certain area of Osaka that some claimed was open and not following closing times last SOE was featured on TV just this weekend, showing footage of the closures ( 90% ) and interviewing the staff and owners on how hard it was to close and survive.

But we still seem to get people claiming "everything was normal".

-5 ( +1 / -6 )

In terms of establishing herd immunity, Omicron is a gift. 

only if you are an anti vaxxer ignoring facts.

The vast majority of those in ICU in western countries are the unvaccinated despite making up only about 20% of the population.

We are now finding out that in South Africa those with mild cases were vaccinated or had previously had other variants of Covid 19.

What this shows is even being infected naturally does not lead to any better protection than getting vaccinated.

But it does show that those unvaccinated are far more likely to get seriously ill and possibly die.

-5 ( +2 / -7 )

Because the vaccine doesn't look like a big help to prevent Covid and prevent the population from some nonsense measures like SOE.

It only looks that way to people that actively refuse to recognize reality, with experts and doctors in every country clearly demonstrating the value of vaccines preventing COVID and specially the most dangerous complication.

-6 ( +22 / -28 )

“Covid only spreads if you're doing something the government doesn't want you to do.”

Are you saying this looking at, for example, the US?

-6 ( +1 / -7 )

The J government should consult the folks here first.

-6 ( +3 / -9 )

Reaping what it sowed, by not testing,

-7 ( +12 / -19 )

Shall I lend you a shovel so you start digging?

Why have the anti vaxxers finally reached the bottom?

The simple fact that those in hospital that are not vaccinated far far far outnumber those that are despite being a tiny minority of the population points to a simple conclusion.

Vaccines are working and keeping people out of the hospital.

-7 ( +3 / -10 )

“Japan should take notice of what other countries are doing and just let'er rip!”

BRILLIANT! Let’s follow the great example of, say, the US!

-8 ( +7 / -15 )

 only looks that way because IT IS that way. And that’s the reality that “experts and doctors” in every country are realizing at a great cost: And the historic lack of trust in their understanding and management of public health.

So the experts and doctors all over the world say something and can defend it with data, but a nameless person say the opposite based only on what he believes is true? Not difficult to see who is wrong here.

 I have never seen "experts" be more wrong, 

Except that every time you are asked where they are wrong you bring only misrepresented sources that indicate exactly the opposite, in this case the problem would not be about the experts that actually get things right, but on the person that fails to understand it.

They actually used the term "so-called" vaccine.

A reference would be good, they must have a source for this right?

which further opens the idea that the what is called the vaccine (but that doesnt prevent COVID infection) is actually a therapeutic taken in advance- so that when you get COVID, you wont be as sick.

So, a vaccine.

Because that is what all other vaccines do. They do not prevent people from getting infected by polio, or rabies or measles, they just make it so people infected do not become as sick (and don't get paralysis, encephalitis or pneumonia). Thanks for proving the COVID vaccines are as all the others.

Exactly. I'm sure there have been some much harsher corona viruses circulating before that were never tested for. 

And where are the victims then? we have had 5 million and counting even with life changing measures in place, obviously if some much worse pandemic was unrecgonized we would have had many times over the number of victims a year, after all no measures have been put in place against those unrecognized viruses, right? In reality this makes no sense.

-8 ( +4 / -12 )

Under a quasi-emergency, governors can request that dining establishments shorten their business hours and stop serving alcohol. Residents in these areas would also be asked to refrain from traveling across prefectural borders.

yeah that ought to do it. Thanks very much guys for your leadership....

-9 ( +3 / -12 )

I'll comply.

-10 ( +3 / -13 )

What does stopping serving alcohol actually do to prevent covid?

it prevents drunken idiots from doing stupid things that can spread the virus - eg, hugging, kissing & generally touching other people

-10 ( +2 / -12 )

What does stopping serving alcohol actually do to prevent covid?

Good question.

It stops people sitting together in close proximity without masks for extended periods of time, shouting and laughing and expelling droplets. No, trains and cafes aren’t the same.

But probably better than the vaccine. 

No. But in conjunction with each other is better than an either/or.

-11 ( +16 / -27 )

yesterday there were 4 deaths because of covid nationwide.

is this reason for some kind of "emergency"?

Do you wait to evacuate a building only after people are confirmed dead? or you do it when the alarm sounds?

Measures are taken when the situation is rapidly escalating towards a problematic situation so they can have a stronger effect, not after everything went to hell already.

One thing is if the measures are appropiate, effective or sufficient, another very different is to criticize measures put in order when they can actually have an effect.

-16 ( +4 / -20 )

What does stopping serving alcohol actually do to prevent covid?

Good question.

But probably better than the vaccine.

Because the vaccine doesn't look like a big help to prevent Covid and prevent the population from some nonsense measures like SOE.

-22 ( +21 / -43 )

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