U.S. raises travel alert to Japan due to 'community spread' of virus

Better yet, stop all flights, like you did with China! Japan and unfortunately SK are the next hot spots for this virus and better to stop crap now than later when it gets uncontrollable

Better yet, stop all flights, like you did with China! Japan and unfortunately SK are the next hot spots for this virus and better to stop crap now than later when it gets uncontrollable

Stay calm, the world is not going to end. :)

Most of the people infected with the virus in Japan are passengers or crew members of the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship docked in Yokohama, near Tokyo.

Stay calm, the world is not going to end. :)

Is that the same advice you have for the over 2200 people (and counting) who have died from these disease? I’m pretty sure the world has ended for them.

You can and you can't "stop all flights". There are a lot of people from Japan living, studying and working in the USA and the same would go for American's in Japan. They should start first with trying to reduce all unnecessary travel and then work from there. Raising the Travel Alert is the first step and it is a good one. I mentioned this yesterday but I think it is worth saying again..... crack open the windows a bit on trains where that can be done but keep the heat on.... or even AC as it gets warmer. I'd rather put up with a bit of cold / warmth with a breeze than a completely closed and possibly contaminated rail car.

Is that the same advice you have for the over 2200 people (and counting) who have died from these disease?

People die from cold and flu by the thousands every single year. Most them were old, even in this case. Old people die. Get used to it. Also, life is cheap in PRC and guess where most of the dead from Covid 19 are. So if you are not old and not living in PRC then I should say your chances are about the same as any other cold and flu season.

@saikophysco Well put. In fact, perfectly put! So long as there’s an option as well, to even open the trains. I mean in America I don’t think they can, and I was in Japan two months ago, but I didn’t see any windows open.

And that would make perfect sense, considering how many late night party goers may get sick on the train. And that would solve another problem as well.

@Reese and Bubu - I actually agree with both of you. The world will not end but as Bubu pointed out this is a real concern for some people.

The raise to Level 2 is warranted I think as it does not recommend people stop travelling to (and from) Japan but advises a bit of extra caution.

@John McCartney - Sorry I do not agree. I am approaching the age of some of the victims but in fairly good health. I live in Japan, not the PRC. I am concerned about this as I do not want to get it (I am no longer in my 20's or 30's). I still travel, continue with my business, but I am altering my behavior accordingly.

Best news I've heard in a few weeks. Hope it pans out!

Texas-based company has reportedly created a coronavirus vaccine 

https://nypost.com/2020/02/20/texas-based-company-has-reportedly-created-a-coronavirus-vaccine/

COVID-19 Japan Case by Each Prefecture

https://jagjapan.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/55c22ee976bc42338cb454765a6edf6b

Increased caution means take additional hygiene practices. Stay alert and no reason to hit the panic button, unless you have symptoms or feel that you may have similar symptoms seek medical help unlike a certain teacher who infected possibly 12 kids by being a hero and not seeking an experts opinion and get tested. The ship docking in Yokohama added the count number in Japan and never should have been allowed to dock but sent but to sea. It's a luxury liner anyway. The root cause still isn't being mentioned nor reparations and hence seems this source root cause country is trying its best to alter the blame to Japan. hmmm.

Moving on with a previous post; A Texas-based genetic engineering company has finished developing a coronavirus vaccine.

Interesting is "genetic engineering" meaning this virus is synthetic (man-made enhanced) by a certain country. No one is bold enough to challenge this country as to the WHY when the world had no issue as the greatest scientific minds left it alone knowing full well the dangers coming from additional research aside military bio weapon. This virus source came from a military lab inside the source country.

I am the present time in a confined space (ferry) in the Channel with a kid coughing again and again a way that I can't remember of. There are already instructions to report to medical authorities if coming from several asian countries and having fever/coughing. So even between France and England it is taken seriously.

Obviously in Japan it is under reported as in China (out of control).

I am not afraid of dying at all but the consequences may be much more serious than those of a normal flu (coughing to make you so exhausted leading possibly to pneumonia). Remember 20% of infected people get in serious or critical situation for weeks sometimes. That is very high burden for hospitals.

Stay calm, the world is not going to end. :)

I get it, but when the people supposedly in charge, the health ministry, who had its own people who worked on the cruise ship, and went straight back to work, WITHOUT testing them, because they had no symptoms, it says a lot to me about their lack of judgement!

They also allowed those who showed no symptoms to return home without any further quarantine as well.

The incubation period for this virus is well over two weeks, as been shown numerous times, and the health ministry refused to reset the "clock" .

If they cant be trusted to do the right thing, other countries should not rely on Japan, and keep flights out of their countries until things settle down!

The message coming out of the Japanese government is "no life as normal for you little people, in fact, cancel all your events and press the panic button on the train if you like, but we're not going to let this inconvenience ourselves in any way".

We're planning from Japan to Europe soon and I think we'll have to get "cancel for any reason" travel insurance in case some leg of our trip becomes a non-starter for people from Japan. I don't trust the free insurance on my credit cards to be worth much here. I don't want to postpone the trip because it is to see my elderly mother.

WHO has called the novel Coronavirus 2019

a “grave threat”

There isn’t a reliable test for it.

People shed the vírus without symptoms and there are doctors reporting that it is possible to be reinfected!

The virus targets different areas of the body and autopsies have shown liver damage as well as lung damage.Other organs are also reputed to be damaged.

Crowded hospitals seem to be at risk of contagion with medical staff at risk of infection and transmission.

Since it is impossible to identify symptoms, the virus is surely going to spread.

no wonder . . . . . .

There seems to be a lack of reports in English (such as on JT here) regarding the daily increasing numbers of cases in Japan and how widespread they are becoming. From Hokkaido to Okinawa, schools and hospitals are being closed due to local outbreaks.

Most recently, six toll boths on the Expressway in Nagoya are now closed because one of the toll collectors is confirmed to have the virus, and 50+ other toll workers there are all in quarantine.

No doubt now, its spreading in the community.

@John McCartney - Sorry I do not agree. I am approaching the age of some of the victims

Then clearly you AGREE with me. If you are old you should be more concerned than usual. Was my post translated into Greek for some readers??

If you are old? Worry. If you live in PRC? Worry. If you are neither old not in PRC? Worry the same as you would any other cold or flu season.

That said, information is thin and sporadic, most of what I am getting that "might" be useful is coming from internet commentators with sources poorly cited to the point they smell more like rumors. One of the first I heard about was cytokine storm two weeks ago but nothing about it since. Now one is claiming liver damage in addition to lung damage. I myself was surmising a secondary bacterial infection. I kind of feel like Hans Blix trying to say I found no evidence of WMD in Iraq while trying to explain to the logic impaired that I cannot prove the negative of "There is none". All I can tell you for sure is that the overwhelming majority of deaths have been in PRC and old people and I think that tells us a lot. The wild card is if the incubation period really is as long as being RUMORED. Doesn't seem really likely to me that its like a whole month, but hey, if this was also an engineered bio-weapon from one of the many slime militaries of this world, maybe.

A level 2 travel advisory still isn't that big of a deal. If we get to the situation where it is a level 3 or even level 4 advsiory, then stuff will really be hitting the fan then. The headline doesn't look good, but there's no need for panic- yet.

The very scary thing about this virus. Not much is known of it. Or how weather may affect it. Also most experts agree this virus will linger like Influenza strains A to D or how many mutations we have. I was scheduled to go to HK and see my wife to be. That's off for now. But I hope a vaccine is produced sooner than later and lives can be saved. I am in Fukuoka/Saga and we have had one case. I wonder how effective these surgical masks really are? There seems to be a mixed opinion if they really work or not. Hope this Texas company link shared is legit. If Africa can contain Ebola with lilted resourses. I am sure APAC can handle his and their stuff together.

Namely that there is no need for it.

Right, and now people who were not tested, allowed to leave, and now are spreading the virus all over the place BECAUSE no one thought to check again!

Dont be so foolish to believe everything the health ministry says when other outlets are sharing more information daily that says things differently!

THe health ministry here is trying to keep as much information away from the public as possible, as normal, because they dont want to be questioned, and want to keep people believing them!