Japan has flu plan to block entry, spread of virus

Since Japan consists of many islands, according to the government's logic it would also make sense to ban travel between islands during a flu outbreak. Will that happen? Or will they limit the measures to keeping out disease-ridden foreigners?

"Charter flights would bring healthy Japanese back home, but those infected would be asked stay abroad and foreigners would be restricted from entry."

LOL - how will that work? Charter planes packed with diagnostic kits and medical teams will fly to all corners of the globe where J-nationals are - set up medical tents for Japanese only - test everyone who shows up - allowing only negative testers on the the plane - and "asking" the rest to please wait here with the other infected masses, "please dont come home"

Also, whatever kit they use for testing better be about 100% accurate. One missed positive, and the whole plane load on the way home will catch it.

Color me doubtful.

This would be no better than SARS. In Toronto we had an outbreak in 2003 and 44 people died. There was a friend of mine working for Toshiba, but he was asked not to come to Japan, but Japanese in Toronto were allowed to show up for a trade show in Tokyo!

Unless the concept of double standards are raised, and that diseases don't care about them, any plans will surely work exactly as they have been designed. And will fail.

and foreigners would be restricted from entry.

I wondered how long it would take the irrational xenophobic element to enter into the argument. As if returning Japanese aren't going to bring the virus with them undetected?

I wonder if it would help to use the next in the oh-so-effective series of subway Manner posters to advise the locals to cover their mouths when coughing and sneezing, rather than just pointing the mist of spit and mucus at a newspaper?

Healthy foreigners won't be allowed it. Will they allow healthy foreigners out or are we all trapped here? How about infected foreigners with permanent resident status? In or out? Or shot, as bakabaka suggests?

Not to mention infected dual nationals. Oh, I can hear the teeth gnashing now.

so healthy Japnese are allowed in and sick ones sent back to where? Why would they be allowed back in to where they came from? Would Japan so easily reject it's own people? Sad if true.

"Charter flights would bring healthy Japanese back home, but those infected would be asked to stay abroad and foreigners would be restricted from entry."

Yes, because we all know that flu, like AIDS, is strictly a foreign disease for which the chance of infection is significantly greater if one lacks a Japanese upbringing. ;-)

Seriously though, I'm curious as to how the authorities intend to determine the healthiness of Japanese travelers when the gestation period new viruses tends to be unknown. The flu bug that’s been sweeping through the schools in my area seems to take 3-4 days from infection to the point where you start exhibiting symptoms, so I don’t see how they could prevent infected, non-symptomatic Japanese from getting back home and bringing some viral omiyage with them. Unless they institute quarantines at an astronomical cost.

As usual, Japan expects to get away with its xenophobia knowing that other countries won't be as xenophobic.

If all nations went Japan's route, there would be no place for infected people who live in one country and have the citizenship of another to go. Are there going to be UN boats shipping people to internationally-adminstered Antarctica? Some terra nullius island in the Pacific? Space Station Mir?

Not a bad plan. I was surprised AIDS was not treated like the plague. Surprise surprise for some innocent people. What percentage of the Afican population died? How many orphans? One has to act and someone should have in Africa.

Because Japan doesn't have any diseases of its own, they all came from "other countries". Damn you Perry!