Gov't designates Osaka, Hyogo, Miyagi prefectures for stronger anti-virus measures

Rinse and repeat.

I'd really love to see some work place measures such as no face-to-face meetings of over 6 people, work from home twice a week, staggered hours, etc.

Having a trip to Takatsuki today with my partner. Beautiful weather, had to be enjoyed

in a cafe at the moment, nobody wearing masks and no partitions.

People are happy and taking life seriously including their physical and mental health.

Humans need interactions with others, exercise and good routines

Having a trip to Takatsuki today with my partner. Beautiful weather, had to be enjoyed in a cafe at the moment, nobody wearing masks and no partitions.

And you're spending that "beautiful moment" posting comments here from your smartphone.

Jaspc, yup while I’m enjoying a coffee whilst my partner is looking in the department store next door. We have been out and enjoyed ourselves immensely thank you

Jaspc, yup while I’m enjoying a coffee whilst my partner is looking in the department store next door. We have been out and enjoyed ourselves immensely thank you

So your idea of "human interaction" we so desperately need is looking at your smartphone while your partner shops without you.

Jsapc, of course not.

We spent the whole day together and she wanted to pop to the store next door. Had a lovely day, don’t see why anyone would think otherwise unless they had an agenda or are just being nasty

Had a lovely day, don’t see why anyone would think otherwise

I don't think anything, I'm just pointing out the irony of your posts.

Again, restaurants, hotels, taxis etc will suffer.

And for what? So corona will disappear in 3 weeks?

I am on the shinkansen now and jyuseki is 70% full. Many People no longer care, yet most won't tell anyone they were traveling.

Jr (pretty much a government owned business) doesn't have empty middle seats and you can travel from Osaka to anywhere without so much as a temperature check.

While. The government are so concerned the vaccine is taking forever.

Yet, restaurants etc are made to shut early.

I don'tparticularly care about corona, so jr's polices don't bother me, I am happy I can travel.

I am just pointing out the hypocrisy of it all and the unjust treatment of one business sector.

Japan is one of the slowest nations to start vaccination, so it come as NO surprise that the numbers are climbing again.

But I must admit japan has one of the lowest deaths from COVID and doing very well at controlling the number of infections.

Lipstick on a pig by any other name is still just that... lipstick on a pig, and the pig is still the pig. Nothing will come of this. The hope and pray method Japan loves just won't work here. The virus doesn't care if the virus is capped at ONE person, because that's all it needs. And they aren't going to fine any restaurant -- it is simply a warning. You can't "suggest" something and then punish the person/establishment for not doing it. If it's not law, it's not law.

Present Japan's "stronger anti-virus measures" is never strong.

Every response to Covid-19 that Japan's government had done since last year are only insufficient measure that were always distracted by economy.

And total cases and total victim by Covid-19 in Japan are one or two digit more than surrounding countries.

Good decision.

This doesn't surprise me at all. Many people in Osaka walk about daily with no mask at all.

Just shut up Suga and go and stuff your face with steak in Ginza.

That doesn’t make much sense , as the most virus loads are concentrated at home, at the workplace, during commuting and shopping, not in all those restaurant and similar businesses, where they really make all possible efforts for distancing, disinfecting and such. In addition, if you really are one of those night owls and now can’t go to your expensive club or night bar, then you have so much money left, that you can easily and massively go out for shopping , dining and drinking until 8pm on every evening, which is now preferred and promoted but will in such cases even more increase the danger of infections.

Japan has handled this pandemic akin to a deer in headlights. Third largest economy, supposedly advanced, should have taken a leadership role in developing their own vaccine but where were they? Now dependent on delayed foreign vaccines. The skeptic in me wonders if they're delaying it on purpose to give their own companies a chance to catch up, or are just in denial still. Regardless, eventually they will finally figure out what most other industrialized countries already have - all the lockdowns in the world will not stop this virus and that a prioritized vaccination campaign to bring herd immunity is the only way out of this mess. Japan will be ages behind the USA and Europe in opening up it's economy again.

Japan is knee jerking -up and down-no clues at all.

Was there any alcohol to rub on your hands before getting on the JR train?

Japan is Chuta Hanpa!....

Looking ahead on this, I can only come to one conclusion: Japan - a country known to be too slow-too late whenever disasters are concerned - has got to change that now. Specifically, Japan better get those vaccinations available to the population FAST.

Jaspc, yup while I’m enjoying a coffee whilst my partner is looking in the department store next door. 

Had no idea there was a department store in Takatsuki. What's the name?

I am just pointing out the hypocrisy of it all and the unjust treatment of one business sector

There are alot of small restayrants that prefer the measures to close at 8pm and 60,000yen daily handout.

Many small restaurants don't even make 30,000 yen as profit after subtracting cost.

It is unfair to other businesses that have been affected by the pandemic or people that have lost their jobs but get zero assistance from the government.