Tokyo governor urges residents to wash their hands amid virus outbreak

I would like you to wash your hands and fingers properly, and wear masks to protect yourselves. There are many ways to do it, but I'd like you to start yourselves with such small steps to control it," said Koike

All while doing the opposite talking long time in front of a crowd without mask in the city she is in charge.

Laughable.

If ever she gets the virus, which I don't wish of course but remains possible, this would be a media disaster impossible to correct, even with a deep bow.

"I would like you to wash your hands and fingers properly, and wear masks to protect yourselves. There are many ways to do it, but I'd like you to start yourselves with such small steps to control it," said Koike

@Koike Does this really ensure exposure via ears, eyes and skin? Perhaps education against open aka "blasting" i.e. sneezing openly without covering up; would go much further. How many readers have seen open blasting out there in the train stations, convenience stores, sidewalks, trains, buses, offices, even grocery stores and includes areas where food is out in the open i.e. bento meals...

Only people who are suspected or confirmed should be wearing masks to prevent the spread and really should be quarantined. You are more like to touch your face more often while wearing a mask because most don't fit properly and will need to be adjusted many times. Also, they need to be changed at maximum every four hours and we all know that NO ONE DOES and no one follows proper protocol on how to dispose of said masks. Meanwhile the people who should be wearing masks either don't wear or can't get them because those who don't need them bought them all up.

Doctors also advise what Gov Koike suggests.

Regrettably there are no masks or alcohol based hand gels and wipes available everywherewhere I've looked today and my office restrooms have no soap, no hot water and no hand dryer, paper towels or tissues.

And by the way, only a medical organization should be listened to, not a mayor.

I live in Hiroshima and on drugstores or even 100 yen shops, there are no masks already, I couldnt even buy for myself.

Even tissues with alcohol are out of stock.

At least I could buy a medicine for the throat, just in case.

But yeah, everyone is worried about this virus spreading.

When you actually have to tell people to wash their hands ( including fingers?) there is an obvious lack of hygiene education. I use as an example the man picking his nose with alternative hands just to get around those bends from a different angle, and resuming his hold on the hand hold on the train. Happening as I type. There really is no hope should the virus really kick in. Bet people will still go to work. High fever, but now maybe with clean fingers. And some with clean nostril.

When there are a few fatalities here, everybody will be washing their hands....

As tamanegi says, it's all very well telling people to wear masks, but where the heck can you find them?

ALL the shops in my area have sold out. While they're trying to make it out that the mainland Chinese have bought everything up by putting up signs in Chinese, I have yet to hear a single word of Chinese spoken by those who have come to the shops to look for masks.

And the alcohol for washing hands - they've all disappeared from the shelves.

I always have a small bottle at work - I use it to clean the loo seat before sitting down. Today, I just bought some ordinary foam soap.

As they say, washing hands and basic hygiene is the best thing you can do. And for god's sake, cover your mouth when sneezing or coughing in the company of others.

My J wife refuses to allow anyone to use hot water, either for dishes or hands. I guess she grew up using cold water.

In weather like this with little or no heating in the house, it is not easy to force yourself to wash your hands thoroughly each time in cold water. As tamanegi says, many offices and public facilities offer neither hot water, nor soap, nor paper towels.

Ever feel like you feel in a giant kindergarten?

I stockpiled about 250+ masks when I first heard about this new virus. I take both high dose Vitamin C, 10,000mg and 10mg melatonin daily. Both offer some antiviral and anti- inflammatory protection as well as protection against septic shock if you do happen to come down with pneumonia.

But, statistically speaking, in Japan your odds of contracting corona virus is infinitesimal small. But as they say, better safe than sorry.

I read the headline and just started laughing. Do people really need to be told to wash their hands?

I read the headline and just started laughing. Do people really need to be told to wash their hands?

Well. I do not know how Japanese behave but in Australia, major shopping centres have hand soap in their toilets. However, I have seen too many people either washing their hands without using the hand soap (that will not kill the germs) or simply not washing their hands. So the answer is yes.

And by the way, only a medical organization should be listened to, not a mayor.

So it’s ok not to wash your hands because a commenter on the internet said you shouldn’t listen to a governor who said you should be washing your hands properly. Got it.

No hot water, no anti bacteria soap or soap of any kind, and one guy blasting away in the restroom no mask.

cycling goggles, barrier proof gloves, ear buds for music, seems more protective than just washing hands.

the mask would prevent spreads

No use pretending that there’s not already a huge reservoir of corona virus brought into Japan by potentially thousands hailing from the epicenter who, until this week, faced absolutely zero hindrance from coming here and bringing the infection with them.

Hand sanitizers are generally effective against bacteria rather than viruses.

Unless you have a very aggressive sanitizer with at least 95% alcohol, hand washing is by far the better method of eliminating viruses.

It's good advice as Coronaviruses are spread extensively via hand contact.

I guess if you envisage that these invisible things could be stuck to your hands, then your vigorous hand washing, rather than eliminating them per se, will tend to flush them off. (Down to the streams and oceans?)

You should be washing your hands regardless of whether there's a virus outbreak or not. Its a basic hygiene practice (and I'm glad that shaking hands isn't a custom in Japan).

She just wants her face on the news again and took advantage of the current health crisis to give some blatantly obvious advice.

Does she mean washing my hands might be beneficial? After No2 and No1 I wash my hands and (fingers! ) Apparently that's not normal in Japan. Coughing, sneezing I have noticed is ok without care. The number of times I get sprayed....disgusting. But calonge that's too much. I've actually been told I smell too good by a woman wearing a mask? The mask was pulled under her chin by the way. Go for it, nice smell yadda, death virus Shogani.

That is actually excellent advice.

Yes, people do need to be told to wash their hands. It disgusts me when I see Japanese men coming out of the toilet cubicles (so obviously they've been doing number two) and leaving without washing their hands. Gross.

And why on earth are returnees on the third evacuation flight going to a customs training institute in Kashiwa?

Vince Black:

She just wants her face on the news again and took advantage of the current health crisis to give some blatantly obvious advice.

Long before this virus outbreak, her Tokyo government has been advocating hand washing and wearing of masks, etc. against infectious disease, for instance, by distributing a multi-language guidebook. This guidebook gives you information about where to call, how to find a hospital, information about expected procedures in hospitals, and where to get further information, etc.

https://www.fukushihoken.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/iryo/kansen/tagengoguide.files/tagengogaido2019-mihiraki.pdf

When Japanese government decided to evacuate Japanese citizens from Wuhan, she was ready and immediately gave them information about a list of facilities and doctors in Tokyo prepared to receive those people. (Abe's government has thanked her.) The guidebook above was also distributed for those people through the Ministry of Health.

Tokyo government was prepared while Abe's national government was not.

Dr. TheopolisToday 05:33 pm JST

I stockpiled about 250+ masks when I first heard about this new virus. I take both high dose Vitamin C, 10,000mg and 10mg melatonin daily. Both offer some antiviral and anti- inflammatory protection as well as protection against septic shock if you do happen to come down with pneumonia.

But, statistically speaking, in Japan your odds of contracting corona virus is infinitesimal small. But as they say, better safe than sorry.

So, if the odd is infinitesimal small, why changing your habits and take all that vitamins, etc. Are you a person at risk ?

Buying so many masks is actually a very selfish behavior. And claiming it. This hysteria does mean all is sold out and people like me can not get any if necessary

Just came back from drug store and I saw a hero. Yes with mask, wiping nose under the mask, sniffles, red eyes, and sneezing with mask pulled off. So perhaps this governor should recommend what the real Medics have wanted all along, proper education regarding "STAY HOME INDOORS" and don't be a HERO. This only spreads YOUR infection to others. Seriously some people are just born ......

Even before this virus scare, we developed the habit of always washing our hands when returning home and before eating. We also carry hand sanitizer in our bags, and in the car. And, during cold and flu season, wear masks on public transport. It has always been good practice to avoid getting sick, in general.

I just hope we have enough sanitizer and masks to last until stores start stocking them again. I've never understood the scarcity and comparatively high cost of simple antiseptic products in Japan, such as isopropyl and/or ethyl alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, and proper-sized tubes of antibacterial ointments, all items that are cheap and plentiful in the US.

basic common sense

I read the headline and just started laughing. Do people really need to be told to wash their hands?

Judging from the fact I see more than 1/3 of the men in washrooms at JR stations just walk out without washing their hands, yes is the answer

Cricky, you kill me. LOL.

And yes, people need this instruction because (unlike other things drilled into them from the cradle) in Japan hygiene etiquette lags way behind common practice elsewhere. I cringe when I see the many horrific habits described in threads above. I've been down-voted when I have mentioned the poor hand washing habits and the g*d awful drying cloth/sweat mop Japanese people carry with them as a health hazard.

In spite of their general uselessness when used improperly (as is generally the norm in Japan and elsewhere with perhaps the exception of first responders and medical personnel); purchasing 250 masks is not hoarding or excessive. To be effective it is recommended that a mask be changed as well as disposed of properly every 4 hours. If you wear such a mask in public for 8 hours of a day you'd barely have enough masks for a single week.

I read the headline and just started laughing. Do people really need to be told to wash their hands?

I cracked up laughing too. Sadly they do need to be told. smh

Koike is improving. I said it two days ago, publically, that sanitization is the cure for the virus.

Get a pneumonia shot, it cast about 150 dollars

In spite of their general uselessness when used improperly (as is generally the norm in Japan and elsewhere with perhaps the exception of first responders and medical personnel); purchasing 250 masks is not hoarding or excessive. To be effective it is recommended that a mask be changed as well as disposed of properly every 4 hours. If you wear such a mask in public for 8 hours of a day you'd barely have enough masks for a single week.

Your math doesn't hold water. If you follow the above, that means 2 masks a day for being in public. Let's make it 4 since there might be times someone goes out in public, goes back to their house, and disposes of a mask.

Four masks a day, seven days a week: 28 masks a week. Not 'barely have enough masks for a single week.'

Heck, even if they wore 8 masks a day, that's only 56 masks a week, and you'd be changing masks nearly constantly.

250 masks is therefore 9 weeks of masks, or 18 weeks if the wearer is following the 4 hour timeline. Nobody needs to purchase 9 or 18 weeks of a product like masks to stock up. That's just flat out excessive or hoarding.

There is nothing wrong with starting with the fundamentals. I agree with her. There are some cynical people on this site.

I bought masks with N99 meaning prevent 99% germ proof

Nobody needs to purchase 9 or 18 weeks of a product like masks to stock up. That's just flat out excessive or hoarding.

They may be buying for 4-6 people in a single home. We don't know and shouldn't judge.

When you assume things you make an ........ you know the proverb.

250 masks for a family of 4 who all go out to either work or school daily is far from hoarding. It’s called being prepared in advance. It’s just About two and a half weeks worth assuming 4 masks per day per person, 6 days a week. Even less if we go out on Sunday.

Within my area, whenever it's known that a shop will receive masks on a certain day, come that day hordes of Chinese descend on the place and bare the shelves like Locusts.... I know this, since I too tried to buy a box, but was surrounded by pushing & shoving Chinese speakers. Masks should be rationed to one box per person.

Washing hands is only part of the problem, this Corona virus is airborne too. Baring the above advice of washing hands and wearing a mask, it may be prudent, to take a low daily dose of paracetamol or some other OTC Cold remedy solution, and to gargle with the Iodine solution maybe 3 times a day.