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© KYODOTokyo area governors eye extension of state of emergency by 2 weeks
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Monty
Extended or not, nobody really cares.
And it has zero impact on my personal daily life.
kurisupisu
When people live in conditions which do not allow for any type of social distancing, where people are shoved onto trains and elevators then Tokyo is always going to be last place in Japan to solve the problem of dealing with infectious diseases.
drlucifer
What she didn't tell them is that Testing too had slowed.
Ken
Research says the virus will be around for at least 7 years plus.
Remember it started in 2019..we are now in 2021
stickman1760
Of course she said this because it buys her and her LDP cronies several more weeks to do nothing. Pathetic.
Aly Rustom
Pfff. whether or not they keep this JOKE of a SOE won't change a thing. They keep the numbers down by not testing- not by actually doing anything useful
Chico3
It's really about politics, money, and being a "yes" person. I see that Tokyo doesn't want to life the emergency because the so-called Olympics are coming up, and she doesn't want to disturb anything that would get the COVID numbers up again, thus ruining chances to hold the Olympics.
AG
Was it on? Haven’t noticed any differences from before.
Lifting it or not is just formalities.
stickman1760
Ask the owner of a restaurant or bar who is seeing their business die a slow death if they think the SOE makes no difference. And hey, in case you haven’t noticed there are a lot of restaurants and bars in Tokyo.
seriously, how much longer can this go on? Another year?
theResident
@stickman1760: Feel for you. Those posters who have noticed no difference in daily life under the current SOE clearly had very boring lives prior to the Pandemic.
Richard Gallagher
All of the sudden Koike, is questioning the wisdom of ending the 'state of emergency'? This from the woman who is advocating holding The Olympics. As for the posting 'wondering' if the pandemic and the various responses will continue for another year: the vaccine is in place. 34 million folks will be vaccinated beginning in April. There are 100 million adults in Japan. At that rate, the population will be vaccinated before the end of summer if not earlier.
thelonius
mandeep katwal
This is a condition of so called developed country. They even cant keep their words and they even dont know that its because of their disciplined citizens the cases dropped. Government did nothing just partying and misusing funds all the time.
mandeep katwal
Why is this country banning students and workers while they are the ones who have to go throught dual covid test and 14 days quarantine. I think this country only needs foriegners when their economy is dying, when their youth population is low . Foreigner are the ones who helped this country and foreigners are the one who are biased . What if we start banning all japanese products just like they are banning foreigners without reasons.
Goodlucktoyou
Where I live there are no lockdowns and life goes on as normal. But I have noticed is that in my area, and when I enjoy the wonderful GoTo Travel, 100% of people are angry to see people from Tokyo traveling around the country. They blame Tokyoites for spreading the virus and believe Tokyo should not only be locked down, but banned from travel. I was in Fukui prefecture a month or two ago where some locals throw stones at cars with Tokyo license plates.
everything in Tokyo is related to the 2020 Superspreader Games.
stickman1760
Thelonius agree with everything you say.
the Japanese authorities have had a full calendar year to deal with this and they have yet to come up with any real plan. They are lucky, they have a docile and obedient electorate. In any other country they’d be tossed out of office and forced to find real jobs. Maybe then they would realize the pain this is causing.
stickman1760
I would like to ask Koike, Suga, if you can’t get this under control after 1 year how can you possibly hold the Olympics in several months?!?
SandyBeachHeaven
@goodluck: Spouse and I travel monthly and never saw stones thrown. People were hospitable and gracious. Overwhelmingly thankful. Tourists sites empty as well as restaurants.
Doing a Shikoku four day tour at the end of the month and have been guaranteed about the cleanliness and care given for our trip.
Mentally it is good for people to get away.
Numan
It seems like two more weeks!
kyushubill
Yet her and her political chums are dining at Nobu after 8pm. This was on a wide show last week and her claim is, "We need to discuss important issues outside the stifling formality of the office. We are well aware of how to prevent contracting."
Rules for thee but not for me.
Jimizo
You told us you were supporting your local izakaya.
Did the subject of the SOE and it’s effect on businesses like this not come up in conversation?
Happy Day
Kyushubill- I see Japan has its own version of California Governor Gavin Newsom, along with many of his fellow Democrats. These elites in government gotta go...
Happy Day
Stickman- the vaccine has been rolled out and Summer will soon be upon us. Olympics will be fine. Though I see there is another fake poll about Japanese sentiment toward the Olympics.
Aly Rustom
Don't bother. AT BEST expect a teeth sucking reply
WilliB
Not enough small businesses destroyed yet, Koike?
noriahojanen
Personally I don't oppose to a conditional extension so long as the overall assessment is well accounted for and scientifically grounded. Unfortunately, other than variant concerns (yet numbers are minimal), Tokyo Governor Koike and her neighbors have yet to show clear exit strategy & timetable. They are instead moving the goalpost with key criteria. It is unreasonable, confusing and politically irresponsible.
Those governors are supposed to know there won't be any significant change even though the current SOE is lifted. For Tokyo as well as other pref. governments can continue to impose it flexibly at own will. What They are doing is just like a rent seeker, at stake is free money rather than life. Under the SOE, locals are entitled to compensations in exchange of giving up parts of authority to the state programs.
didou
It should be lifted.
Behind is a political fight between Koike and Suga.
I believe also that some politicians hope for a lower infection level in two weeks for the Olympics decision
stickman1760
Do they really think extending this so-called state of emergency by two weeks is going to change anything?
AG
34 million folks will be vaccinated beginning in April. There are 100 million adults in Japan. At that rate, the population will be vaccinated before the end of summer if not earlier.
Off by probably 33 million at least, considering April is in a month time.
Slickdrifter
COVID will never end it feels. Just yesterday the WHO stated that no end in site and will go into next year.
We need drastically to all work together. In every corner of the world. Leaving all of it behind.
otherworldly
I care.
Meiyouwenti
If Koike is so concerned about resurgence of the virus, then how it is that she’s still so keen on holding the Olympics in July, an occasion where hundreds of thousands of athletes and spectators get together?
AdamP75
was really hoping this was going to end on the 7th so i could go back to drinking all night with the boys, hunting japanese women. i guess we will have to wait a little bit longer.
smartacus
I doubt an extra two weeks will make any difference to the number of infections in Tokyo. And it's only two weeks so that people can go out and have hanami parties in parks, which they missed out on last year.
Fanny Greene
last year people did hanami parties. did not take it seriously AT ALL. clusters soon after. remember Ueno park?
Sven Asai
What is really needed is a working long term strategy or a last and virus extinguishing strategy. Those are the options. A two weeks SOE extension helps, but as the name even already hints, only for those two weeks.
kaimycahl
@ Ken
**Research says the virus will be around for at least 7 years plus. Remember it started in 2019..we are now in 2021 **Ken this is a virus and you can not kill a virus. Researchers are wrong saying 7 years plus. This virus is here to stay as it mutates and morphs to stay ahead of researchers. The common cold and the flu is here to stay expect Covid to be here forever with different strains!!!
yoshichuta@icloud.com
PM Suga must obey the Queen Koike excuse again?
After all he can’t make up mind in own will at all as well as last year.
The two week extension would be guarantee to go well against a formidable variant attack ?
At this time, her response sets endangerment . All the virus knock off by her spell ?