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© Thomson Reuters 2021.Gov't to consider new COVID-19 state of emergency declaration
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bob
I think you said that 6 months ago.
TARA TAN KITAOKA
This is now a must.
Zaphod
The Avenger
That is increasingly what all this looks like. Schwabs great reset?
Zaphod
Completely and utterly stupid. If restaurants and karaoke parlors are dangerous, they are not less or more so before or after 8 pm. To the contrary, if you crowd more people into a smaller time slot, of course and infection risk increases.
And what in the world is a "nonessential outing"??
I hope somebody stops these authoritarian morons.
Brian Wheway
It looks like there is some extra urging coming this week.
Alex
The government need to step up and support the businesses and people that can’t work if they want shorter hours or a lockdown . People still need money to pay rent and eat . Seriously do these people actually think ?
The Avenger
It's not about controlling the VIRUS. It's about controlling YOU!
Fanny Greene
Please consider. Then announce you are thinking about it :)
bob
@Starbucks - they don't have to be experienced altogether in any one country.
as someone has famously said "Virus gonna virus" no matter what. Hence the pre-determined mortality.
since1981
In the meanwhile, it is being reported that this year there will be a big decrease in Influenza cases because so many people are wearing masks, washing hands, and social distancing. Well, if that's the case why are COVID cases skyrocketing worldwide? (except one particular country)
The Avenger
Staying home AND wearing masks have both been proven to be detrimental to our health and whoever made up that 6 foot rule could change it to 15 or 20 feet and it wouldn’t make any difference at all.
They know the lockdowns are unnecessary.
That’s why these officials break their own rules.
Why would they expose themselves to “the virus,” unless they knew they were safe?
A Johnson
Ironically, the only countries recovered and ready for the olympics will be the Americans, the Brits, the Isralies.
Japan can’t fight the corona virus this late in the game, the don’t understand thier enemy, they haven’t chosen their weapons, and they don’t know where the fight needs to take place.
spinningplates
The Japanese Government is so frustrating.
Just standing around considering things hoping they can just wish it all away.
They did the same thing with the Nuclear Meltdowns...
'It's not a disaster, we are monitoring the situation, the situation will get better soon, this is Japan therefore the situation is unique so looking outside is not appropriate.'
Rather than taking a stand and making a firm decision that can be planned around they will procrastinate until their hand is forced resulting in snap closures and major disruption.
Jonathan Prin
2020 figures in Japan have been falsified because no test for all and no taken into account of all deaths. Judt look at Worldmeter figures of deaths per million inhabitants.
By now, the figures should get closer for all large population statistically.
Standard of care is very high in Japan but there is no treatment for this covid19 til now, remember.
I believe Government cannot allow high occupancy eate of hospitals because if there was a serious earthquake, it would mean deaths by thousands or an order of scale forgotten.
Best is to make people responsible and implement all possible sensible measures, like accepting telework by companies, providing subsidies for obvious trades which need it (the smaller, the more), asking effective social distanciation,etc.
That is possible but need for a strong leader, i.e strong enforced actions like heavy fines to the offenders.
Starbucks
Conclusion: Countries that already experienced a stagnation or regression of life expectancy, with high income and NCD rates, had the highest price to pay. This burden was not alleviated by more stringent public decisions. Inherent factors have predetermined the Covid-19 mortality: understanding them may improve prevention strategies by increasing population resilience through better physical fitness and immunity.
@ Bob
Don't think all the factors in the conclusion can be experienced altogether in any one country.
bob
Oh dear! What incredible developments have their been in science since Sept 1 that invalidates this peer-reviewed study??
Starbucks
The study was up to date in August and I see nothing that supports your sheep and people comment.
since1981
Don't have any solid ideas but something needs to be done. I say ask the CCP for advice. They are the only country that has been flat-lined since February 2020 according to the data on https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/
mikeylikesit
In related news, Japanese scientists have just discovered a COVID mutation that occurs only in Japan. The spiky parts of the virus are 2 nanometers shorter, making it safe to Japanese people before 8 p.m.
Alcohol seems to affect the virus mutation, shifting the time an hour earlier if anyone in the room happens to be drinking.
thelonius
Put Fumie Sakamoto in charge, now. And for god's sake, vaccinate medical staff at the very least ASAP!
bob
@Starbucks
Hows that?
Starbucks
@bob
Little out of date don't you think.
bob
Stay the course, Japan. Ignore the science-deniers who have long since given in to panic-porn.
Lockdown measures and other mandates have failed miserably everywhere they've been tried. (Don't even bother mentioning that tiny little isle in the middle of the Pacific Ocean with more sheep than humans)
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2020.604339/full
Tokyo-Engr
@oxycodin
Were you here during the last State of Emergency? It worked very well and also had a significant impact on the numbers.
I would like to try the SoE again prior to moving to some of the measures which are really happening now.
One possible solution is similar to the State of New York in the U.S., where on January 6 they will vote on NY State Assembily Bill A416 to allow the government to detain those with Covid (or any other communicible disease) that the NY state government deems a risk to public safety to be removed and detained. The wording of the legislation is interesting.
https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2021/a416
Or we can use a system such as they are using in Canada where in Gatinaeu, Ottawa Canada where they are encouraged to call the police on people breaking the rules a neighbor called the police on another neighbor for having 6 people (all family members) in their home for Christmas. The police came and forcibly removed one of the people (I guess he was resisting).
It is the reason I would rather try the SOE first which actually demonstrated with tangible and measurable impact that it worked here.
n1k1
It is depressing. The collapse of the medical system and the need to even discuss lockdown makes you question every single detail. I don't blame you.
Txrogers
Japanese health experts have obviously concluded that the virus only comes out at night.
Which means that aging government officials would have go home early after work.
The economic devastation to hostess bars, pachinko halls, and strip clubs will be devastating. Which is the only business sector that Japanese government truly assisted (in absence of failed policies).
Another master stroke.
pointofview
Can't shut everything down and expect people to survive on no income.
Yubaru
And how are you going to distribute these doses? The US Military offered to vaccinate Japanese workers on one of the bases here in Okinawa, as reported by the local newspaper, and the Japanese government refused to allow these workers to get the vaccine, because it has not been authorized for use here in Japan.
n1k1
Obviously things have gone tits up and i urge the government to please contact Astra Zeneca and Pfizer and offer more money for the first 5 million doses.
n1k1
There shouldn't be a reason to evacuate the whole building. The building design is the problem.
Lots if fake doctors ! Brainless people with fake degrees . Talk a lot do little.
PFFfff.. f... Embarrassing
Yubaru
Yes, there very well CAN, it's just a matter of the government choosing to not go that route!
For the most part Japan IS in a lockdown internationally, leastwise it was totally in a lockdown, until September or so, when it instituted reciprocal agreements with roughly 10 SE Asian countries.
That is a "legal" lockdown, and the same could be done domestically.
oyatoi
Just as happened with the earthquake and typhoon intensity scales, the Covid one is badly in need of an overhaul. It’s supposed to be already at or close to 4 (the highest level), with nary any of the draconian measures employed elsewhere. Raising it from 4 to 6 will not only give politicians a handy excuse for more meetings, but will add to the perception that things are being done with each new fax delivered ukase cutting izakaya operating hours.
Yubaru
Yes.
Oxycodin
There is no such thing as a legal lock down so do you really think people in Japan are going to comply to those soft worded urges such as please stay home and don’t leave house unless it’s essential..... While the LDP goes out for steaks. Lol
Dexter
Just give them a plenty of vaccine ,Mr Suga
Jimizo
What’s your take on hospitals being stretched to capacity and leaving the critically ill without the care they require?
Have you seen the figures for hospital capacity in Tokyo? I go with a practical horses for courses approach to this, while you seem to be talking in general about enslavement of the masses and Amazon and big pharma making a killing.
Try to be more objective here and take a look at the numbers. Leave the ideology at the door.
Comment, he wrote
Anyone else notice Koike is disguised as the joker in that color palette? How fitting!
kyronstavic
Nice try Jimizo. I’m not denying numbers are rising, but you’re completely ignoring the words and behaviours of the people who are supposed to be governing.
Jimizo
Enslavement? A bit hysterical, isn’t it?
The sensible people here are not fearmongers nor those who think it’s just another flu and we should go about our daily business without masks etc. As for the lunatics spouting ‘scamdemic’ created by big pharma, the least said the better. We don’t have to run to extremes here and talking about ‘enslavement’ is just unhelpful.
You do tend to view everything from a right of centre perspective with a tinge of conspiracy theory. How dangerous do you think it is? It has killed over 70,000 in my home country of the UK, and the new strain ( now detected in Japan ) has seen numbers rise at an alarming rate, leaving the health service stretched to its limits. You do accept these as facts, don’t you? It’s worth remembering that I’m also talking about a country where the vaccine is being administered now. Japan is months behind on this score.
My own take is the hospitals must be protected, particularly in an area like Tokyo which is ill-equipped to take in large influxes of patients and has very low ICU capacity.
Haaa Nemui
there hasn’t been a lockdown in Japan.
kyronstavic
I don't care much for Dentsu, but it was government policies and reactions that were primarily responsible for crippling the economies in the first place, further demonstrating that government interference usually causes more problems than it solves. The same governments comprising people who tell you to do one thing, and do the opposite themselves.
carpslidy
Would it be cheaper to put everyone who is over 65 and wants in the millions of empty hotels rooms across Japan?
Test them on the way in, once the have a negative result they are free to move around the hotel. Just cant go outside
Regularly test for outbreaks
Breakfast, lunch dinner delivered to the front door of the hotel.
They can stay until they have been vaccinated.
didou
Just a copy of what has been done in some countries, without being able to enforce it In Japan.
but this has already been asked many times, not going out for non essentials outings. This was actually asked once more for this Oshogatsu
dagon
I was thinking more GoTo subsidies, bailouts of airlines and Dentsu contracts for the Olympics and pandemic relief programs would better fit the definition of corporate welfare.
kyronstavic
Covid denialism? Alt-right? LOL! Where did I deny it? I just don't think it is as dangerous as the fearmongers make it out to be. These bailouts wouldn't even be necessary if governments didn't institute the lockdowns etc anyway And companies like Amazon and the big pharmaceutical companies are loving the pandemic and lockdowns/pleas to stay home - they're making a killing off the fear. You want an example of corporate welfare? Convince governments to get taxpayers to foot the bill for mass vaccination for a virus that affects a tiny percentage of the population. That's corporate welfare for you.
Udondashi
State of emergency ? For What ? While thousands of tourists, ops,
"businessmen" are allowed to enter Japan to do "business".
LOL ...
Tokyo-Engr
@Oxy - The SoE earlier in the year worked very well. Why don't we start there before moving to a "police state".
Oxycodin
A simple urge is not what we need. We need two month total police state style lockdown now please. A state of emergency in Japan don’t enforce anything other than a gentle urge..
dagon
How about instead of COVID denialism from the alt-right combined with neoliberal responses such GoTo subsidies and financial bailouts and corporate welfare; companies (like Amazon) pay their fair share of taxes from the gains made during the pandemic to assist those most impacted by the pandemic.
Tokyo-Engr
@Virusrex - I do not always agree with you 100% but I do fully agree with the last paragraph of your post above. The unintended consequences of the overloading of the health care system can/will result in non Covid related deaths. It is similar to the unintended consequences of a mandated punitive lockdown (economic fallout). I do agree these are difficult choices and I would not be the one to have to make the final decision on this.
The SoE enacted earlier this year was effective and would decelerate the increasing cases, allow the health care system (hospitals, etc.) to catch a breath, and also move us closer to springtime when the cases will likely taper off again.
The virus is becoming more contagious but the morbidity and mortality rate may be slowing down a bit.
Diverting money from Olympic preparation can help those impacted.
Interestingly enough the U.S. CDC scientists postulated in November the amount of cases may be 100 million or more in the U.S. This comes from scientists at the U.S. CDC.
If this is the case the actual mortality rates rather than the mortality rates of those receiving a formal diagnosis may be quite a bit lower.
virusrex
Your position is like not understanding why people obsess over a fire alarm, nobody dies over a loud sound, so why would a disproportionate response such as evacuating a whole building must be done?
The cases are followed with such interest because this is not the worst that can happen, widespread infection would lead to an overcoming of the health services and death of a lot of people (even including people that would require hospitalization, even for reasons different from COVID-19). Doing something before this happens is hugely more effective, the same as evacuating a building on fire before people are trapped inside.
kyronstavic
I'd prefer they just shut up.
tooheysnew
@Kyronstavic
well said mate
kyronstavic
I agree with you in principle mate, but it'd be impossible in practice and bankrupt the nation in no time. But I know you know that ;-)
Lots of the posters here are left of centre and therefore support wealth redistribution...right? So it only stands to reason that they'd be willing to share their safe, regular income with those who their preference for an SoE will economically cripple. That includes lower-paid people in service industries as well as the people who employ them.
And judging from the comments, a sizeable proportion of people on this forum are begging for their own enslavement, as that is what a series of SoEs or lockdowns or whatever they want to call it is, in effect. The lockdowns in Europe, Canada, and some states (unsurprisingly, Democrat states in the main) in the US, are causing horrific human damage and forcing populations to get addicted to government handouts for survival while punishing small businesses for trying to make a living. All the while their leaders act like there's another set of rules for themselves. Why, just the other day in Canada, I think it was the treasurer or finance minister of Ontario jetted off the Caribbean for a trip while his province is under restrictions. And all his colleagues could do is regret his "mistake"! Utter hypocrites and completely undeserving of a scintilla respect or authority. And yet these are the people the lockdowners want in charge?
No thanks.
We're not dealing with a disease like the 1918 flu or bubonic plague here - this is a disease that is asymptomatic in the vast majority of cases, has a rising recovery rate and a falling death rate. Look sat the graphs.
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/japan/
https://toyokeizai.net/sp/visual/tko/covid19/en.html
By all means, lockdowners, if you want to stay home for whatever reason, you're free to do so. But stop trying to enforce your will on people who are not sick from this virus and are extremely unlikely to get sick or worse from it, as you'll cause more harm than you're trying to prevent.
dan
Just look at the U.K and how well lockdowns to tier 4 have gone.
Mass unemployment,suicides way up,
businesses gone bust,massive mental health issues.
For all those who say stay home for those who cannot telework and will lose their jobs what about them?
As usual it is those in a good financial position that push for a stricter measures.
John
Evidence from other countries suggests there is a direct correlation between lockdowns and the people advocating lockdowns not abiding by them.
Hubert Gulletchip
They are going to consider whether or not to have a meeting to perhaps determine if they should decide to consider having another state of emergency or not.
AG
A few more meetings and a few more fax to send, to conclude the obvious.
So restaurants/bars would still work at full capacity? What about limiting capacity to 50% for example, to encourage social distancing?
Efforts to keep train windows open as well? Because every time I take one I am the one opening the windows which are closed, or barely open.
Garthgoyle
She's just looking for attention and making it look like she's doing.
She's been trying to "decide" to "ask" Suga to declare SOE. As in passing the ball "here, your problem. You decide, you pay the consequences, not my problem."
Now they're still "deciding" if they go into SOE, which on all legalities is nothing as it is not lockdown. It's another made up word for urging people to do stuff.
I thought Koike was the governor Tokyo needed and maybe even the next PM. But turns out she's just another pussycat politician. All words but that's it. Meh. Rant over.
gaijintraveller
"The Japanese government has not done a great deal to control the infection."
Now that really is an understatement. GoTo Travel and Eat without a doubt encouraged the spread of the virus.
The government supposedly wants to support the economy, but the best way to support the economy is to discourage, not encourage, the spread of the virus. The countries whose economies recover most quickly are those that eliminate the virus most quickly.
Some people say that the rise in suicides because of the economic downfall is killing more people than covid. What should be done about this rise in suicides, and what is the root cause of it? I suspect poverty, the inability to pay bills is a major cause. How is this being addressed? By a one-time payment of ¥100,000. The government is more worried about the Olympics than the people, and how much does the government endlessly throwing at the Olympics?
tooheysnew
If the government guarantees to pay me the full amount of my lost income, I will support a SoE.
I will also accept money from all the people on here who will continue receiving their full salary in the event of a SoE.
George Townes
I forgot to add. If an emergency declaration is declared and then subsequently lifted sometime in February, we can expect the GO TO campaign to be promoted heavily once again.
n1k1
Makes you think this !
Sakamoto says , they can't do it because at capacity and it is all Suga's fault.
So if admission to hospital isn't possible do we get our medical insurance money back ?
Are these (St. Luke for ex ) private hospitals ? Are there state owned hospitals in Japan ?
I strongly believe the SoE not only won't solve the problem inbJapan it will start a vicious cycle of new problems . We likely have another 6 months to herd immunity and if Sakamoto says they can't, Suga should start looking for people that can.
HBJ
They can’t even stay 2m apart in their press conference.
George Townes
No alcohol after 7. Don't go out after 8?!?
Great. This will cause more people to cram into restaurants and shopping areas earlier in the day before abiding by the emergency declarations to return home.
Can't anyone think on their own without being told what to do?
It is just beating a dead horse with this issue.
dagon
Yesterday Koike warned that the coronavirus takes no holiday. Yet according to these rules it seems to keep to business hours and only come out at night.
kurisupisu
On Monday Tokyo will be coming back to life and the buses,trains and walkways will start to fill up again.
Where is the vaccine Mr Suga?
TokyoJoe
My export business was destroyed last year when EMS stopped all flights to USA. Now with this if hoikuen close again then my other telework work will have to stop as I will have to take care if my son.
All I can say is it's going to be very costly as the measly 10万円 last time from Abeくん will do nothing. We need a percentage of income paid to every resident for the duration of the lockdown. How about scrapping the sports day and spending our taxes on a furlough scheme.
JeffLee
I commute early mornings through a downtown Tokyo bar-entertainment area, and at least half the denizens spilling out onto the streets are maskless, not distancing and usually shouting manzai-style into each other's faces.
If police are not arresting these people under the emergency measures or otherwise forcibly cracking down, then they will be largely futile, since this group is the most infected.
Yubaru
Back in late summer, down here in Okinawa, there was a relatively large cluster that came about from one of the "main" nightlife areas here in Naha. The authorities set up testing sites, and put out warnings for everyone to stay out of the area, and for the most part people listened.
BUT, that sure as hell didnt stop the daily increases in overall cases being reported, in fact, it's has gotten progressively worse, with on average, double digit numbers of infections for nearly 90 days in a row, and the overwhelming majority NOT coming from nightlife establishments.
Tokyo-Engr
They have actually backed the LDP into a corner. I agree with Sakamoto-san:
The State of Emergency (SOE) worked the last time it was implemented and it should be used again. Make the call on the Olympics and divert money which is being and will be spent to businesses who need to close during the SOE. As was demonstrated during the last SOE a punitive lockdown is not needed.
It is at the point where the economic risk of not halting further spread of the virus exceeds (will exceed) that of not having the Olympics.
The lack of leadership at Nagata cho is mind boggling.
Yubaru
Do the people of the country a favor and back this up with facts/statistics that show that there are more cases of the virus occurring BECAUSE of night time activities!
You have zero credibility with the public when you make statements or requests like this, and yet give no information to back it up! Everything is based off of assumptions!
Cricky
Fear of loss of face, stupid pride and greed vs Experts,public safety.....who's going to win
my money is on the LDP.
H
Doctor Evil Meme: righhhhht