Tokyo begins quiet weekend, but some go about as usual

Tick tock.

Come on Japan. Get it together.

While queuing did they keep 2 meters apart?

No panic this weekend then...

Insanely, the school next to my house seemed to have some sort of PTA meeting today. A few dozen parents came out after noon carrying bags of (presumably) paperwork, afterwords huddling together in small groups on the street talking as if everything was normal.

My husband and I just watched as they eventually dispersed across the street just in a stunned silence. People really just do not care if they're going to spread the virus or not. Abe will probably have to pull some sort of martial law scenario just to get people not to have useless meetings.

Hope everyone has sturdy life insurance. Oy.

Warning that Tokyo is on the brink of an explosion in virus infections, Tokyo Gov Yuriko Koike requested Wednesday that the city's nearly 14 million residents stay home this weekend and work at home as much as possible on weekdays

Despite this my crazy employer wants all teachers to go into work on Monday even though it's the middle of the school holiday.

You don't go and panic about a disease, if you don't know that it is here.

That's what the ministry have been trying to do.

Not containing the virus, but making sure nobody knows it's here.

Simply do the calculation based on figures given to us by the ministry.

Number easily adds up to tens of thousands.

If we blindly believe the death ratio given to us by the ministry, the death comes only in few a day.

Even with tens of thousands of infected.

Probably below 10 per day.

Let's say the number of infected was 50,000, with only 20% having the symptom, and with 2.5% death ratio.

That's just 250 deaths in 3 months, starting Jan 2020 to Mar 2020, meaning death per day would be around 3.

If there were scenes in Japan reminiscent of Spain or Italy then there would be empty streets but there just aren’t the number of deaths occurring.

If the morgues in Japan begin to overflow then people will wise up and stay home..

Avoid crowds and stay home are the ‘suggestions’ from the J-Gov. Guess what!? It’s not working and people are ignoring the ‘suggestions’. Lockdown Tokyo! Make it illegal to have social gatherings. Close all bars, restaurants, cafes and non-essential services. And, put all incoming international travelers (foreign or native) into 14 days quarantine (not self-isolation). This is what Australia has done and it has reduced the spread of the virus with fewer new cases reported each day. If Japan does not take drastic and immediate action there will be a massive outbreak.

Quiet in Tokyo would still be crowded in most parts of the world...

I had a doctor's appointment and no, it could not wait and NO, I could not do it over skype. I have eye meds and eye issues that can only be done one on one with the doctor. Am I selfish?

Some people are just selfish.

Blue collars will have to go to work. Part-timers will very little income usually have to go to work. People who work for the government or general welfare of the people will go to work. People who work in the media will go out.

People with very little to fear because of mental issues will go out. People who are abused at home or relationship problems at home will be gone.

People who are already lonely being at home will go out. People who are just curious about the scene will go out.

@Tom

No. Why is this so hard for people to understand. Avoid non essential social contact.

I am like many people,

Yes, I would prefer to stay home and follow the governments request but I would also like to pay my rent, my supplies and pay my employees so I have no choice.

And no, I cant wait until May for the government to get around to giving me a fraction of what it will cost to close.

I have eye meds and eye issues that can only be done one on one with the doctor. Am I selfish?

Since you were doing something that benefitted only yourself then technically yes, you were being selfish.

This is a farce.

Are we going to see an article Monday afternoon about all of the people going to work?! On the trains? Smooshed into small offices with their co-workers!?

Hopefully Japan Today can provide this content for the world to see.

Some people were jogging and walking their dogs.

California is under lockdown but taking a walk is no problem. There is no problem with getting some fresh air as long as you distance yourself from others.

"I'm a little worried, but I have an appointment today, which is why I'm outside," said a 41-year old man who declined to be named. "It's not something that I can't cancel, but I do have to meet someone. I will be riding the train later."

Yup... can't cancel the cherry blossom viewing! Only good for this week!

If the man's appointment were so serious that he absolutely could not cancel it, he would have said what it was.

Why do people need to go to restaurants when there is an emergency? Just quickly do your groceries or order take-out. Yeah, I had an appointment today too, scheduled two months ago, and which would have involved my taking the train and crossing right through Tokyo, but even I thought it was best to cancel.

Everybody needs to do their bit. Absolutely selfish. Typical can't-happen-to-me or don't-care attitude. Japan is still being offered a chance to avoid a European, US or mainland China scenario. Take it now! Better safe than sorry.

A few stopped to pray at a local shrine.

Praying won't help, I can tell you that!

DaDude above is right, in fact it's important to keep you vitimin D levels up (time outside, or supplements).

But yes, don't go for a jog with 7 of your mates. LOL.

guys, do not trust masks.

I saw people playing basketball. Keeping 2 metres apart, but passing the potentially virus-laden ball... Brilliant, not.

Either ignorant or selfish.

As someone said on the TV yesterday here in the UK about keeping a safe distance “six feet apart or six feet under, your choice”.

Unless the message is pushed hard and regularly by the authorities than as was said above it will take the mortuary’s overflowing to change peoples ideas.

My friend had to work today too and conduct a training seminar with close to 50 people!

Japanese companies and businesses are too inflexible to allow for changes to plans and social distancing.

Combined with low reported numbers due to suppressed testing, few small-mid sized business leaders take this seriously, or at least their employees health are expendable to them.

It (corona) will sneak up and spread throughout the masses as it has everywhere else in the world. There is no escaping its evil grip.

It's best Tokyoites heed the advice of the authorities before it's too late.

If you want to find out where the Face Masks are in Japan, you should start raiding Chinese CCP members residences.

I wonder how many people here are actually CCP stooges, providing their own spin upon the CCP propaganda in order to make everyone else question what our own Governments are doing...

Until Tokyo is locked down some selfish, crazy and naive people will never take advice from the local / national Government to exercise caution and avoids crowds! I recall the photo on JT last week about people watching cherry blossom in crowds and many without masks! Cherry blossoms come every year but life is only one! A person might not care about catching the virus because he / she things that their immune system is healthy enough to survive it but in the process you might transmit it to a weak person thus killing them! Bottom line is think about others as well before heading out to do non essential things! Earlier today while looking out my window I saw a group of people having a picnic under a tree and trains ( Chuo line rapid / Sobu line locals ) super crowded with people despite the REQUEST from the mayor! These REQUESTS will fall on deaf ears so the authorities need to take more serious actions in order to control the spread of this virus!

egetatsuya:

guys, do not trust masks.

Yes, but you should not underestimate masks either. Masks do cut down SOME spray infections. Like nuclear radiation exposure, more you inhale spray infections, more vulnerable you become. You immune system works better if numbers of virus are less. Do not overwhelm your immune system.

@socrateos

Yes, but you should not underestimate masks either.

Disinformation is as dangerous as the virus itself. The science says that facial mask does not protect an iota you from virus. Listen to what scientists say: https://www.who.int/influenza/publications/public_health_measures/publication/en/

For some low self-esteem folks, especially those with an a priori anti-Japanese bias this seeming mishap by Abe and his cabal on their response to SARS Cov-2 is a godsend - an apt opportunity to display their prejudices unimpeded.

It's patently clear that many more people will die in Japan, no doubt. But let's all remember where this thing all originated from - in Wuhan Hubei Province.

And in South Korea, let's not forget that it was the actions of ignorant, selfish and arrogant troupe of religious zealots in Daegu, that spread this disease willy-nilly as would a Savannah wildfire in my native Kenya.

Disinformation is as dangerous as the virus itself. The science says that facial mask does not protect an iota you from virus. Listen to what scientists say: https://www.who.int/influenza/publications/public_health_measures/publication/en/

The link you provided doesn't support your assertion that facial masks do not protect "an iota" against virus.

SJ:

Disinformation is as dangerous as the virus itself. The science says that facial mask does not protect an iota you from virus. Listen to what scientists say: https://www.who.int/influenza/publications/public_health_measures/publication/en/

Who is giving disinformation?

[Mask] offers a certain amount of protection against infection from your own hands or droplets from the cough or sneeze of an infected person. 

https://www.medicinenet.com/do_face_masks_protect_you_from_the_new_coronavirus/article.htm

That is exactly what I am talking bout. Wearing and not-wearing a mask are not same. When it comes to getting someone's droplets, less is better.

There are reasons why health professionals use masks. There are reasons why WHO provide instruction how to use masks against COVI-19 properly instead of telling us they are completely useless.

@socrateos

Please read the WHO report. Even "hand hygiene together with face masks" did not show any significant effect, how can just face masks show any effect?

In the pooled analysis of six studies that examined hand hygiene together with face masks, there was no statistically significant protective effect when all settings outside of health care were combined (rate ratio [RR]: 0.91, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.73–1.13, P=0.39, I2=35%) (42-47). 

https://www.who.int/influenza/publications/public_health_measures/publication/en/

A recent summary on controversy on face mask:

 If everyone wears a mask, I’m sure that it would reduce the transmission,” he says, adding, “Don’t ask me to show you a clinical trial that it works.”

https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/03/would-everyone-wearing-face-masks-help-us-slow-pandemic

Simply, there is no evidence yet. Even any evidence comes, I am sure the effect is negligible.

SJ:

Read the latest report from the doctor at the epicenter.

"Not wearing masks to protect against coronavirus is a ‘big mistake,’ top Chinese scientist says"

https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/03/not-wearing-masks-protect-against-coronavirus-big-mistake-top-chinese-scientist-says

First Weekend in a while, that I have not heard the Japanese Right Wingers driving around blasting their loud music and propaganda around the place. Tokyo, without them, is a lovely peaceful place to be.