Gov't will not ask people to forgo summer travel due to virus, Suga says

In other nations we have medical professionals providing the guidelines and after that the politicians carrying out the science. This looks like it's made up as they go along

I figured out away to get a virus test done if you have any concern without ever entering a hospital. Whenever, you see a Red Cross blood donor bus just go there and I am sure they will be testing immediately for the virus.

Well, there it is; the dumbest thing I've read all day.

Fair enough. I do know a lot of the elderly want to see their relatives. Deprivation of human contact can also be detrimental for them

@Christopher Glen. Of course, but she has early stage dementia. Sometimes she is terrified of the virus and doesn’t want them to come, other times she can’t remember much about Covid. Her doctor had said she is vulnerable and high risk. DH and I have been the only ones taking care of her since April because of this.

“My sister in law and her husband are still travelling from Tokyo to stay with her vulnerable mother. So selfish. My husband is extremely upset.”

Haw anyone asked the mother’s opinion?

@Ashley Shiba. You can’t donate blood monthly, it’s not recommended and the Red Cross should not allow you to do this. Also, they don’t want foreigner’s blood, I know this as I have tried to donate in the past.

 figured out away to get a virus test done if you have any concern without ever entering a hospital. Whenever, you see a Red Cross blood donor bus just go there and I am sure they will be testing immediately for the virus. In September, I plan to start donating blood each and every month,

Good tip, read about your post about it before.

Would you be able to do it monthly? As far as I know they recommend at least 3 months between donations.

Anyway I myself plan to do it after all this, I don't feel the need to get tested now

Many tourism areas are on their last legs and need domestic visitors to survive. It's wise of the government to support these places. Who will support them after bankruptcy?

The government.

There's already a budget earmarked for the program, they just have to give it out directly now to the intended beneficiaries instead of as counterpart to tourist expenses

My sister in law and her husband are still travelling from Tokyo to stay with her vulnerable mother. So selfish. My husband is extremely upset.

The fact that there's someone extremely upset about it should be reason enough not to go.

I hope nothing untoward happens, that might break up the family.

You just have to endure the "see nothing happened I told you so " afterwards

No need to rush it or, Mr COVID-19 will make the call.

@Rosalind harris

i couldn’t agree more with you.

all corrupted one way or the other.

Many tourism areas are on their last legs and need domestic visitors to survive. It's wise of the government to support these places. Who will support them after bankruptcy?

Politicians seem to be stupid, no matter where you are in the world.

My sister in law and her husband are still travelling from Tokyo to stay with her vulnerable mother. So selfish. My husband is extremely upset.

Decided on not taking the kids to see the grandparents this obon. It just doesn't feel right to take this unnecessary risk

And probably no one would enjoy it anyway if you did go through with it. The threat of the virus will be nagging at everyone the whole time you're with the old folks and long after.

And if indeed disaster struck, everyone who survives the incident will remember it the rest of their lives.

So yeah, it's not right to take the unnecessary risk. Better wait till it's safe so the grandparents can have many more obon with the kids

'who's job is it to minimize that risk???'

The Governments. But they blew it.

They had the funds, and the window of opportunity back in March/April. But instead of holding the course they wasted all the public funds on the Abenomask campaign, Dentsu, and 'Go to...' They caved in too early; just when the national 'soft lockdown' was taking effect. Now they've squandered everything.

So...whose job is it to minimize risk? I'm afraid that now falls to individuals...with no financial support., and the biggest problem worldwide is...'People 'aint no good'.

I forgot the bed occupancy rate for Tokyo I posted yesterday, was it 64% or 67%?

In any case it's at 69% today

""The remarks came as the government struggles to balance the need to reopen the economy while keeping the spread of the coronavirus in check""

As always $$$ above everything else, understandable but HELL when the public lives are at risk who's job is it to minimize that risk???

I got sick several years ago, so I'm very accustomed to giving up "fun."

I don't wish for anyone to get sick. But I wish people would be more mindful and make smarter choices.

Too much is placed on enjoying life now, and not enough for preserving life for the future.

Just look at climate.

@ Monty,

You are calling for Japan to close its borders to the rest of the world.

Do you agree then that the rest of the world should close its borders to Japan?

However, I will admit, if Japans luck holds and the virus does not spiral out of control, maybe it will get away with this current strategy.

So far as the welfare centers decides who gets a test and who doesn't, and being understaffed alot of people with symptoms are still being turned down to suffer on their own and eventually become better. These cases don't figure in the infection count giving a false impression.

Decided on not taking the kids to see the grandparents this obon. It just doesn't feel right to take this unnecessary risk. Gramps is the one who feels the most uneasy. Can't blame him. It's a horrible and excruciating disease to get for many old folks. Not being able to breathe - screw that.

@monty. Nonsense. People are crowded into bars, izakayas, karaoke and hostess clubs before 10pm. Many are pissed well before 10pm.

@Luddite

Japanese people go to bars, hostess, host clubs or Karaoke after

10pm to continue drinking.

But if these places are closed at 10 pm, people must go home instead of drinking reckless and forget every prevention the whole night.

That is the idea behind closing alcohol places after 10pm.

Come on...if you dont have any argues that makes sense, or if you dont have any comments which are meaningful for this discussion here, then better stop it

Finally he gets it....?

Can someone explain to me how closing alcohol serving establishments a few hours early mitigates the spread of the virus? I keep reading this statement but there is no evidence to back it up.

Tokyo has requested that karaoke venues and establishments serving alcohol close by 10 p.m., effective from Monday through the end of August, to mitigate the spread of the virus.

Yes. This is obviously based on the premise that Corona goes to sleep in the daytime, but is awoken about 10PM by the smell of alcohol.

@Bob

Hang on a minute. I consulted my imagination and she said I was way off. It’s actually probably 4,000,000.

Come on...if you dont have any argues that makes sense, or if you dont have any comments which are meaningful for this discussion here, then better stop it.

We may take a vacation, but the virus doesn't.

Vacations in the time of Corona could mean some happy holidaymakers run a risk of returning in time for Obon next year.

Count me out even if it means Japan's GDP crashes.

Suga, you don't get it, old boy. Asking and urging is too little too late. April/May was the chance you had to put together a sustainable plan while making testing available. What a mess we're in.

@rainyday,

Top comments.

I always thought it was a miracle that Japan had somehow dodged a bullet regarding the Diamond Princess and then the 'first wave'.......and then Aso spouted off his 'higher culture' thing you knew it was all over.

These bozos don't give a ff about their people.

It is heading the Brazil way.

> @Bob

Ok, 400.000 cases are 2% in 14.000.000

Should we go into panic?

Hang on a minute. I consulted my imagination and she said I was way off. It’s actually probably 4,000,000.

Dammit, we’re just going to have to rethink the whole thing.

Japan must keep its borders close for travelers and business men from overseas.

And should the rest of the world close its borders to Japan?

Japan has become the new Brazil.

They don't actually care for their people.

We have become collateral damage to the 'elite'.

Just like Minamata.

“Do your best personal prevention. 

Wash hands, use sanitizers, wear masks and keep social distance where it is possible.”

Precisely, and stop panicking

Who cares what the government says anyways? No way I'm spending a week off shut up inside!

the government has no intention to request people [to] refrain from traveling

The government is insane.

@Bob

Ok, 400.000 cases are 2% in 14.000.000

Should we go into panic?

You think my imagination of probably 40000 cases in Tokyo is too high?

Ok, I’ll play. No I think it’s too low. I think it’s closer to 400,000.

There, we’ve both “advanced the debate”.

Yep! Gotta keep the wheels of Nippon Kaigi turning, regardless of the cost to human life.

@Bob

You think my imagination of probably 40000 cases in Tokyo is too high? 

So then, Tokyo cases are much lower?

There you go with that imagination of yours again.

Good. Let's have some fun.

Abe government cannot change initial policy because they think that changing policy is equal to admitting fault of themselves.

They prioritize their honor than health or lives of people, can stop or change nothing until causing more victim. 

It is like wartime Japan.

My wife wanted to see her parents (one isnt doing well), and had scheduled a trip for this week. I already planned to stay home, but we cancelled. We live on a small outer island. No cases so far, but look at Ishigaki. Their bed availability is already overburdened with only 11 cases. Our island has a capacity for 1 person and a large at-risk population that needs safe access to hospital care. I hope people will not go to small islands. While its likely safe for you, it wont be for them.

@nothernlife

Please read my posts before you comment them.

Where did I say it is evertwhere?

Gov't will not ask people to forgo summer travel due to virus, Suga says

of course not, because the govt started the Go To Trouble" (katakana) campaign last month.

I can not go with my Japanese wife and mother in law to her hometown because if someone unlucky will get corona there , the population will accuse us to bring the virus from big city and can not go anymore to hometown for the next 5 generations .

Japan is still very medieval in many social aspects.

@Bob

You think my imagination of probably 40000 cases in Tokyo is too high?

So then, Tokyo cases are much lower?

If you think so, than perfect!

Northernlife said I forgot some 0s.

The remarks came as the government struggles to balance the need to reopen the economy while keeping the spread of the coronavirus in check.

Please. The governments current strategy is minimalist intervention on both fronts. The virus is spreading relatively unhindered apart from personal prevention measures. The economy is open in every regard apart from international tourism. Perhaps that is the best strategy; many commentators here seem to think so. I admit, the fact that there has been minimal economic contraction in Japan surprised me, although thanks to both luck and the short SOE, Japan has largely avoided significant impact from the virus.

I personally still believe that the spread of the virus will drive down consumer confidence, delay resumption of tourism and in turn damage the economy. I also maintain that the function of the government is to balance the free market economy by imposing regulation for public health and welfare, not to protect the economy at the cost of its citizens. However, I will admit, if Japans luck holds and the virus does not spiral out of control, maybe it will get away with this current strategy. Lets hope the lessons learnt dont color the response when the next threat looms.

Correct?

Correct you have an imagination and shared it.

I just cancelled my holiday plans, which would have seen me and my family travelling from a major urban center with rising cases to a rural prefecture with very few.

A month ago it looked like it would be OK, but now? I felt it would be incredibly irresponsible to be taking whatever risk us city folks present and spreading it to the countryside.

Its beyond belief that this stupid Go To Travel campaign (which would have subsidized our trip) is still going on.

The only reason Japan has avoided the worst of this so far is the lucky fact that the population was already conditioned to do things like wear masks and avoid contact. Any other population with a government this incompetent would be in much deeper trouble.

For those who are so ignorant with prioritizing the 'economy' over people lives. Do you see the article below this one on the fron page?

Millions return to lockdown in Philippines as virus cases soar

Look at Melbourne, look at USA, look at UK. But you can't look, you are blinded by money. Enjoy your Economy when there isn't anyone to sell your tat to.

@Northernlife

numbers they are reporting you could times that by 10 or 20..

I guess you don't read my posts, right?

I multiply the reported Number of 400 times 100 = 40000.

Even 40.000 cases are only 0.2% at a population from 14.000.000 in Tokyo.

Correct?

Why?

@Carpslidy

I 100% agree!

Of course people should not travel from one Bar to another.

But I don't see any problem if people go back to their hometowns to visit their family, and do all the necessary prevention.

I will be travelling, but from one low risk area to another. It's not worth the social stigma of travelling to a major urban area at this time.

Traveling from tokyo to iwate isnt the same as tottori to iwate for example.

Tokyo reported 258 new cases of infection on Monday.

We all already know this tendency.

Beginning of the week, the numbers are lower, end of the week the numbers are higher.

This will go on until a vaccination is found.

Like I said before, the numbers are still low. Even the numbers in Tokyo will rise to 40000, it is just 0,2% among a population of 14 Million. (I mentioned that already before)

Point 1:

During your daily life and during traveling there is one thing you should do:

Do your best personal prevention.

Wash hands, use sanitizers, wear masks and keep social distance where it is possible.

Keep social distance is the most important, but also the most difficult point during the daily life in Tokyo. Packed Rush hour trains, packed company offices because Telework is refused by the Japanese management and so on...

The best and only prevention in those cases is to wear a mask.  

In trains I recommend to try to stay close to an open train window. These days some windows of the Chuo Line and Keihin Tohoku Line are open.

If you go on travel and you travel by bus, many buses I use these days in Tokyo and in Japan have open the windows.

Point 2:

The thing that Japan should do to keep the infections low:

Japan must keep its borders close for travelers and business men from overseas.

Don’t let imported cases from overseas come into Japan.

I know that many people here disagree with that but please learn from other countries, which opened their borders for travelers and business men.

Look how fast the cases increased in those countries.

I 100% agree that for foreigners who live in Japan, but are stucked outside, must be a solution found that they can come back.

As long as these 2 points above are followed, the Corona situation in Japan can be managed without big problems, until a vaccine is available.

Could that be possibly the most stupid thing a politician has ever said?

Not giving up, it’s “ live along with”.

If it wasn’t already obvious, this all but confirms they have completely given up.