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© Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.Japan expands virus state of emergency, restrictions to more prefectures
By MARI YAMAGUCHI TOKYO©2025 GPlusMedia Inc.
43 Comments
WilliB
How about some context for such figures? 6000 beds for a city of 20 million is shamefully low, it surely is possible to increase that. So is this a crisis of a virus infection or of hospital management?
As for the lethality of the infection, here are the Corona deaths for the last few days (as per Tokyo govt website):
july 22: 0 (zero), july 23: 0 (zero), july 24: 1 (one), july 25: 0 (zero), july 26: 1 (one), july 27: 1 (one).
And for that people want to shut down a city?
hatsufred
Japan is about to expand SOE - but but the horse has already bolted.
jiji Xx
they literally have no idea, do they..... what a bunch of tossers!
O'Brien
No, no, you all don't understand. This time it's for real. They're going to ask us really nicely to comply with it. Heck, they might even ask with mild sternness.
Anyway, it looks like China's starting to stretch its lead at the top of the medal table, so we need another distraction.
I've never been a major proponent of civil disobedience - been involved in a few low key protests in my life but nothing radical or violent - but I wouldn't blame the people of Tokyo (and the other areas) if they gave the government one giant middle finger and went about their business as usual.
gakinotsukai
for god's sake, stop with this rhetoric, you don't compare same systems, Japan has never been exhaustive and transparent with covid data
shogun36
Like a vaccine?
Meaning no plan or solutions at all..........as usual.
thepersoniamnow
Zzzzzzzz
One more week till holidays.
Man made viruses and rushed vaccines…stress me out.
Some dude
If those figures are to be believed
That "if" at the start is doing more heavy lifting than the combined efforts of every weightlifter competing at the Olympics.
Superhero
and officials have warned they may hit 4,500 a day within two weeks.
Does one of these clowns know what exponential growth means?
kyronstavic
Glad somebody around here understands the meaning of context.
Do the "authorities" even look at breakdowns of data beyond raw "case" counts and consider who is actually falling ill by age range? Doubt it. Maybe if they look here they might learn something.
https://toyokeizai.net/sp/visual/tko/covid19/en.html
And what are they doing about treatment? Can't they give people anti-virals once they test positive or start showing symptoms? You know, the ones whose names shall not be spoken here? If people want to get the jab, I won't stop them, as long they give informed consent.
But the government's unwillingness to allow doctors at local clinics to dispense with these proven safe, cheap and effective anti-virals without risking the loss of their licence smacks of outside pressure to push vaccination at all costs. Even at the cost of lives that could be easily saved.
https://www.worldviewweekend.com/tv/video/dr-peter-mccullough-dangers-covid-vaccine
as_the_crow_flies
They're not. Test suppression is the name of the game. Speaking of which, I wonder if the number of daily tests on the Olympics bunch and assorted hangers on is greater than all the tests in Tokyo (pop 13m), and the 20m-odd plus in the greater Tokyo area...? I know many are lateral-flow tests, which is handy when you are shooting low, but still...
Also, how are the numbers being fudged now we are in the thick of the Olympics? Is Johnny Foreigner being counted in with the rest of us? Do those dastardly police from Hyogo who let the side down and went positive while on duty get marked down for Tokyo, for Hyogo, or for neither? What about all the other accredited bods? Can they be fobbed off on local areas or do they get counted as hits for Tokyo? So many fascinating questions to ponder.
snowymountainhell
Perhaps as they sat around the conference-room table in their green ‘work uniforms’, Koike murmured:
“ANY ideas what to do??” … (crickets chirping)
Then, she exclaimed:
“Damnit’! Come on, folks! Someone? Anyone? Anything! We have a press conference in 5 minutes”…
“Governor, we could stall them some more.”
“Good answer! We’ll do that!” (again)
… without elaborating.
wanderlust
The new super-duper-special-quasi-ultra-state of emergency, focusing only on alcohol, restaurants and bars, and the totally impractical work from home.
Just like the other four SOEs and quasi SOEs before it...
"...we have to come up with new measures that are effective!"
In the meantime, the IOC TV broadcast circus in Japan continues to vacuum up huge sums of money.
masterblaster
State of Emergency? What's that?
Don't you know the Olympics are going on?
Chili
I mentioned previously the other day my son who contracted the virus got rejected by 3 hospitals. Well the next day his grandpa who he was staying with also got feverish and started having breathing problems. So called the ambulance who took him to 4 hospitals in Chiba and they all rejected him. The ambulance administered oxygen for couple hours was the only recourse. Some friends also infected recently experienced the same thing in Nerima Tokyo. Unbelievable worst than a 3rd world country.! Goodluck getting treatment!
Albert DeFilippo
He can say state of emergency until he is blue in the face. No one is listening to him. People are even allowed to attend some events. Campgrounds are packed, riverside full of people, main shopping areas packed, and road jammed with cars. Obviously the government will have to get serious but if they do then it would have to apply to Olympic Athletes and staff as well. And of course we can have that. I stand by my original words; The Olympics is a big mistake.
snowymountainhell
What SOE? This photo looks like another day of ‘business’ in a ‘shopping alley near Ueno station’. - (Anyone else notice the blue T guy walking with the conspicuous bank envelope? He seems to have the black T-shirt guy’s attention, perhaps wanting to offer directions of a nice place to relax, eat & drink?
Jim
And what were you doing for past 18 months? Twiddling your thumbs, burying your neck in the sand and hoping this is go away?
noriahojanen
@WilliB
Due to (more peacetime) regulations, in Japan, only designated hospitals should take care of covid patients while the vast majority clinics have stayed away from the full-fledged virus warfare, quite unwilling to provide beds and other resources. Medical professionals, especially in private sectors remain uncooperative of the state policy although they have enjoyed a fast-track priority to get vaccinated.
Unbelievably, medical associations are still resisting in reforms for better response to covid (such as online diagnosis) while some top officials breached the regulation by partying and dating in public.
It is rather outrageous when these medical guilds keep threatening the public with "healthcare collapse" story, call for stronger measures on contact businesses while they continue to exempt themselves from government requests (to provide beds, etc.). Burdens should be shared by all public sectors for the common cause.
ShinkansenCaboose
Ran into an American down at our Bronze Medal winners home turf. He had no mask on, and also had around his neck a pass as a volunteer worker for the Olympic Sailing Pavilion.
I asked him if he got his vaccine with a jump in the line. He said they offered it and he refused it. Anti Vacer
What?
I thought all volunteers had to get vaccinated.
Commodore Perry
noriahojanenToday 06:13 pm JST
Slightly different tilt, but the doctor at the private medical clinic where I get my covid test to be able to fly to the US told me the Japanese government wants to take credit for the vaccinations, which is why the smaller clinics do not give the shots.
Alfie Noakes
This is exactly the kind of bold, dynamic thinking needed in this dire situation. Remember when you had another bold, dynamic idea?
KYODO NEWS - Oct 30, 2020 - 21:22 | All, Japan, Coronavirus
The capacity of novel coronavirus testing in Tokyo will be increased to about 65,000 per day by early December, Gov. Yuriko Koike said Friday.
"We will make sure that necessary tests can be conducted swiftly," Koike told a press conference, referring to the plan that is part of preparations for the twin-threat of the COVID-19 illness caused by the novel coronavirus and seasonal influenza.
https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2020/10/7c15eb69a30b-tokyo-to-boost-capacity-of-covid-19-testing-to-over-60000-per-day.html
That went well, didn't it.
kyronstavic
How long are they going to draw out these SOEs? Are they intent on destroying small businesses for fun, when the government could easily allow doctors to treat this disease early and keep people from having to take up hospital beds in the first place? Something stinks.
Nibek32
All you people complain about the government not doing anything and then complain when they put restrictions. They can’t magically make the problem disappear without the cooperation of the public.
The government is not here to babysit you. Follow the same guidance they give every single day and the numbers will go down. Ignore it, the numbers go up.
fish10
Absolutely pointless, the citizens of Tokyo have already spoken and said loud and clear they intend to fully ignore it, do you honestly think that Osaka especially, or Chiba, Kanagawa, and Saitama give a flying f&#@?
Only difference, I went to Enoshima today, beach shacks stopped serving alcohol. So, conbini still sells it, order beach shack food to go, get conbini beer, consumer win, save money. Beach shack mega loose, won't be back under same owner next year because last month of season no one will use it.
NOMINATION
Neither has China but have never heard you or most others blame them for starting all of this.
O'Brien
Case numbers look really high but at the same time we all can't suddenly ignore the ultra-low number of Covid related deaths over the past month that trends downward. We can assume it is because most of the elderly are vaccinated. It is important not to over-react to 4 digit numbers of cases unless we can be certain that this is going to be the end of Japan. The science isn't settled on this disease, especially Delta. Everyone needs to stop being so hyperbolic.
Steve, if you're going to make another sockpuppet account, at least try and find a different writing style.
kurisupisu
How long has Koike been attending the over publicized meetings where rows of green and purple workers diligently stare into computer screens?
Just what has she been doing???
Chili
Continuing on recent post my son is infected. So i did a PCR test from the Suginamiku hokenjyo today and it came out negative I asked is the vaccine available they said yes. Can I get it right now? No they said i have to wait two weeks. I said you just tested me negative in two weeks I might become infected. No rules are rules. Well I said it doesn’t make sense it’s stupid. Sorry they said come back in two weeks to test again! So frustrating!
Mark
I am afraid it's a little too late, back in late May to Mid June when India was in flames and the Delta vires was spreading, Japan and the rest of the world were warned about what is coming our way, and Japan did nothing.
Oxycodin
What a waste of SOE strategy that kept failing these idiots don’t learn from failure and repeats the same crap. Japanese had enough with the BS. Good luck and continue to fake numbers going down as a result off a useless SOE how pathetic
Kurukuru
What ever.