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Japan to extend virus restrictions in Tokyo, 12 other prefectures until March 6

52 Comments
By MARI YAMAGUCHI

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Japan to extend virus restrictions in Tokyo, 12 other prefectures until March 6

Restrictions? It's quasi measures where people do their every day life, like nothing really happened.

26 ( +32 / -6 )

What are the current measures in place???

17 ( +19 / -2 )

Anyone else as bored as I am now? This is all so pointless.

12 ( +25 / -13 )

Bar, pub, nightclubs and restaurants WERE major sources of clusters in the past, they probably still are but to a lesser extent. Omicron is running wild through SCHOOLS... so naturally, the government has put measures in place to.... close bars and do nothing to even stop the basketball team to stop practicing maskless in the school gym. I really think the plan is to slowly get everyone infected at a manageable pace.

11 ( +14 / -3 )

Should do like some of the Scandinavian countries and just delcare covid is over and get on with life.

11 ( +16 / -5 )

So we're being served with...'Carry on everyone; you're all doing very well.'

''Nearly half million people with no or mild symptoms are staying home nationwide.''

Lol, but many more than that are continuing to go to to work, to school, and I have friends whose schools are closing classes, only for them to be sent to fill in at other schools to potentially spread the virus further.

But..it is in line with a global trend to 'boost' and 'live with the virus' because there's no way to dodge Omicron, but as noted above the 'Boosting' part seems to be very slow.

What I will say is, when the really deadly virus hits one day, the Pandemic has made it clear Governments are the last institutions you should be listening to for your safety.

8 ( +12 / -4 )

Kishida's decision follows requests from governors in the affected areas, where daily cases are beginning to overwhelm hospitals with more serious ones among elderly people. There are also staff shortages among medical workers who are either infected or close contacts of those who test positive.

Instead of using the power of "free market incentives" and addressing this critical pandemic issue; substantially raising salaries for these front line medical workers, increasing their ranks and reducing the punishing hours and stress that cause many to call it quits. ..

The answer is once again limit the operating hours of eateries and bars and compensate the owners for this?

Kishida's "new capitalism", Japan Inc. pandemic edition.

6 ( +11 / -5 )

Japan to extend virus restrictions in Tokyo, 12 other prefectures until March 6

Japan to extend requests for bar and restaurants to comply with restrictions in Tokyo, 12 other prefectures until March 6

There fixed for you.

Tough border controls in place through the end of February have also triggered criticism from foreign students, scholars and business leaders who say the measures are not scientific and hurting Japan's international profile, economy and future.

They're right. The measures are not scientific and they are hurting Japan's international profile, economy and future.

5 ( +16 / -11 )

Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike criticized Kishida for insisting on waiting until vaccine supplies were delivered to all municipalities so they can start with boosters at the same time.

Unreal.

They should try to use all supplies as soon as they receive them as fast as they can

5 ( +10 / -5 )

So the new capitalism is all about giving failing businesses handouts while the average person has to keep slaving away in packed trains during the day.

4 ( +11 / -7 )

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Wednesday announced plans to keep COVID-19 restrictions for Tokyo and 12 other prefectures for three more weeks

Totally ridiculous. Luckily these restrictions are largely ignored.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

Amazing that they’re extending the restrictions in places like Miyazaki. With case counts of a few hundred a day and the hospitals almost empty of serious cases, the justification must on some ulterior motives. Maybe it’s that the many small restaurants are happy to take the payments for early closures? Or the governor wants the votes in the next election? Who knows? The logic is baffling.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

we are at the critical moment of our fight against it

I might be missing something, but the "fight" hasn't started. Testing is a joke and the only "measure" is to stigmatise places where people socialise by encouraging them to stop early and non-Japanese by not letting them into the country. Working from home is still mostly not a thing two years into the pandemic.

I've had to take two PCR tests in the last month out of my own initiative because Japan's ludicrous definition of "close contact" pretty much excludes everyone who doesn't share a household. The choice was either to wait days (and potentially infect others while I had to get on with my life) or pay an extortionate price for a 24-hour test. Glad I was negative, but the way numbers are being kept relatively low is real.

One could say that testing facilities and hospitals are overwhelmed because of how unpredictably fast Omicron spreads. But getting ready for that would have been the only good reason to keep borders closed. We can see now, again, that border closures are only an easy way to do something politically advantageous without actually dealing with the problem.

3 ( +5 / -2 )

Countries like Australia and South Korea who have had over 90% of people vaccinated have deliberately let omicron spread based

Japan in effect is doing exactly the same thing. The quasI SOE restrictions do very very little to stop the spread ( as do the border restrictions) and are just window dressing so the government can pretend to be seen as doing something for people’s health whereby in reality they are happily letting it spread and even keep this under wraps with their totally minimal testing.

2 ( +10 / -8 )

Good to see Koike again, taking time out from doing absolutely nothing and getting a meaningless photo opportunity with the Abe Puppet.

2 ( +11 / -9 )

“In order to balance anti-virus measures and social and economic activity, I'm determined to tackle the situation promptly."

Said this exactly on December 01st.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

What restrictions? There is only ONE single restriction the government has had this whole time, that it has enforced, and that is the xenophobic barring of foreigners from entering the nation, barring an international sporting event they want to host to feel good about themselves. THat's it. And based on the news last night, they've done a pretty good job of turning away foreign investment in Japanese education, and exchange students have gone on to other nations, including South Korea.

So, this whole extension of the "manbo" means nothing, particularly since it's been in place for a while and the numbers of infected have quadrupled since.

1 ( +12 / -11 )

nothing new all same but old talk.

why i am not surprised at all?

harro common sense,sayonara...

1 ( +5 / -4 )

What restrictions?

There are no restrictions.

I just made a 90-minute commute on a packed train to an unventilated office with the heaters blazing hotter than Hephaestus' underpants.

I'm sitting in a room with 40 other drones and am required to pretend everything is fine.

This is going on in companies and schools all over Tokyo.

The only restriction is that when we get out of here, none of us will be able to have a refreshing beverage or a pleasant meal when we finish work, and we will all pile on the packed trains at the same time as 15 million other drones.

There are no restrictions.

There is no state of quasi-emergency.

There is only, "we hope you don't get sick. Please don't have any pleasure in your life either."

1 ( +7 / -6 )

Derek Grebe Today  11:41 am JST

What restrictions?

There are no restrictions.

I just made a 90-minute commute on a packed train to an unventilated office with the heaters blazing hotter than Hephaestus' underpants.

I'm sitting in a room with 40 other drones and am required to pretend everything is fine.

This is going on in companies and schools all over Tokyo.

The only restriction is that when we get out of here, none of us will be able to have a refreshing beverage or a pleasant meal when we finish work, and we will all pile on the packed trains at the same time as 15 million other drones.

There are no restrictions.

There is no state of quasi-emergency.

There is only, "we hope you don't get sick. Please don't have any pleasure in your life either."

100% correct !

1 ( +6 / -5 )

Overall, it's just not a serious issue. Kinda like the flu.

1 ( +6 / -5 )

Get the boosters to those at high risk and for those at high risk who can't or won't have the vaccine, issue them with home test kits and have their GPs ready to give them antivirals as soon as they test positive. Other than that, just lift all restrictions and let the virus spread - there is no way to stop a virus as transmissible as this Omicron variant - it will become endemic and everyone will be exposed to it eventually, even if not all will develop a full infection. Any restrictions are just going to delay the inevitable and are simply not worth the trouble considering the lower lethality of this variant and high levels of immunity against serious disease provided by the vaccination program.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

omicron is hardly a “health emergency”. They should just acknowledge they want to keep certain people out.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

@ian,

That's good news!

When are they lifting the lockdown?

They didn't lockdown for Omicron as their hospital didn't alarm about the ICU beds availability.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Actually nothing happening, except 2 clowns sitting 2 metres apart, vaccinated (I assume) and masked. Everything around me is open for business, and has been for ages.... emergency? Right.....

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Should do like some of the Scandinavian countries and just delcare covid is over and get on with life.

It is funny to me that the right embraces this aspect of the Scandinavian approach but rejects the democratic socialist model of the Scandinavian nations that provides the means to take such an approach while caring for the well-being of the populace.

The two are linked but they don't get it when carrying on with their talking points.

0 ( +4 / -4 )

Just declare the country will be in quasi-state of emergency for the rest of 2022. Absolutely nothing will be different anyways if no-quasi, semi-quasi or full state of emergency.

0 ( +5 / -5 )

@Temyong

The loved ones of around 5.76 people who didn't survive this type of "immunization" might beg to differ.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

*5.76 million

0 ( +3 / -3 )

“In order to balance anti-virus measures and social and economic activity, I'm determined to tackle the situation promptly."

What the ____ is he talking about?

0 ( +2 / -2 )

TheTruthIsOutThere

Temyong Today  10:46 am JST

Natural immunity is 100x better.

Thank you for spreading your huge knowledge about the natural immunity, I suppose you are a very very expert in that matter.

The CDC says that natural immunity is superior to vaccine immunity. Are you arguing with them?

0 ( +4 / -4 )

Does anyone notice how South Africa ended the Omicron wave in just 47 days with 30% of vaccinated rate? They live with the virus. Thats all.

That's good news!

When are they lifting the lockdown?

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Yeah just penalize the restaurants and poor staff who can’t make enough money to survive since restaurants close early. All this while allowing people to travel in packed trains like sardines!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Clearly the current measures aren’t working since the infection rate has been going up ever since the quasi emergency was implemented! Yet these idiots keep continuing with the same strategy of just closing the restaurants early and bringing hardship to poor workers!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Countries like Australia and South Korea who have had over 90% of people vaccinated have deliberately let omicron spread based on science, and learning to live with it now. Japan on the other hand is going backwards. Jgov is a joke!

-1 ( +19 / -20 )

The Japanese government just can’t stop with their pointless rules.

Derek Gabe summed it up nicely in a previous post.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

Tom DoleyToday 07:25 am JST

Countries like Australia and South Korea who have had over 90% of people vaccinated have deliberately let omicron spread based on science

And based on science, did Australia impose strict lockdowns ?

Japan did not.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Not all governments should be ignored in times of crisis. Just the quasi-ones.

-2 ( +8 / -10 )

Until the med procedure is determined effective and safe, it should not be pushed so much. Natural immunity is 100x better and we have drugs available to treat it. With 99.99percent survival rate, i’ll have a better chance than the snake bite.

-2 ( +5 / -7 )

Temyong Today  10:46 am JST

Natural immunity is 100x better.

Thank you for spreading your huge knowledge about the natural immunity, I suppose you are a very very expert in that matter.

-2 ( +3 / -5 )

Very good decision.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

Does anyone notice how South Africa ended the Omicron wave in just 47 days with 30% of vaccinated rate? They live with the virus. Thats all.

-3 ( +3 / -6 )

MARCH 6TH IS A SPECIAL DAY and the Japanese Government understands that placing the lazy state of emergency is a good start to nothing at all.

-4 ( +7 / -11 )

How convenient, ending the pathetic SoE just in time for the Tokyo Marathon. Exactly what's the point of holding the marathon again? It's a super spreader event.

-5 ( +6 / -11 )

and get on with life.

only works for the living so maybe they're trying to keep as many alive as possible

-6 ( +3 / -9 )

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