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Osaka raises coronavirus alert level to red

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The medical system is not on the brink of collapse-there is no proof of that at all!

-4 ( +20 / -24 )

love that pics!

5 ( +9 / -4 )

Outings are essential for me, otherwise I do not got out.

At least, Japan does not enforce it like so many western countries . At the end, citizens in Japan have much more freedom

-3 ( +14 / -17 )

Well I heard about this yesterday from a friend. I live in Namba and have a business in Osaka.

Seems like whether I should decide to close or remain biz as usual is totally up to me.

But cases are definitely up. I have heard of several people and schools with positive tests around me.

13 ( +14 / -1 )

What is very shocking is the desertion by doctors and nurses at the Osaka hospital designated as Covid 19 hospital last March. It is the first city in the world where I know off caring staff deserting patients and duty because that is what they are doing.

overall it is unacceptable for a country like Japan to have less than 2000 beds and not even able to serve those beds and patients, or not wanting too.

all over Japan hospitals and doctors refuse patients, with excuses not reasons. As foreigners we will have had that experience, even with good insurance cover but now also Japanese people experience it. It is shocking, disappointing and a shame.

26 ( +30 / -4 )

But then again it’s always been in the red hasn’t it, the only difference now is that it’s on TV.

9 ( +12 / -3 )

Recently, trips to Osaka have been excluded from the central government's Go To Travel campaign and residents of Osaka are asked to refrain from using the campaign.

Only 'asked to refrain?' C'mon, you can do better than that! How about a "Pretty please?" That might make them take it more seriously. If you added "With sugar on top," that would stop them cold and the problem would be solved.

8 ( +12 / -4 )

Red alerts don't affect crowded trains in the morning or evening. It doesn't address most of the overcrowded areas. It just penalizes struggling alcohol establishments as people haven't been crowding them as much.

15 ( +15 / -0 )

All these urges and red allerts won't bring any benefit to this situation,I was checking on the newspaper that just yesterday Italy with a population of less than half of Japan did over 200.000 tests,just in a day,so it is obvious how they want to keep the numbers low on purpose,for the domestic population.

So I fail to get all the logic here,first they put the go to traver/eat in the middle of a pandemic which totally contradict itself and then instead of putting some concrete laws to protect it's citizen they just urge.

Osaka with such a population and density needs more than a red alert flag but actions.

11 ( +13 / -2 )

@ robert maes

Try going to a Red Cross hospital-you won’t be refused.

0 ( +5 / -5 )

Osaka gov’t: We’ve tried nothing, and we’re all out of ideas!

12 ( +12 / -0 )

This Yoshimura doesn’t mock around.

Good on him to take some action - the best he can do, as unfortunately according to the law here you can’t make it mandatory for people to stay home a few days.

Should people follow the guidelines and have some common sense, even these 10 days have a positive impact on the number of cases, allowing to reduce some of the pressure on hospitals.

Good work Osaka, let’s hope Tokyo takes some measures too - not likely though.

-5 ( +4 / -9 )

So unnecessary. The elderly and vulnerable should refrain from going out if possible, and it should be business as usual for everyone else. I know ill be at the bars this weekend.

-8 ( +6 / -14 )

The picture is great. It looks like a red penguin alien is releasing a virus upon mankind.

8 ( +8 / -0 )

Tokyo will follow soon enough.

-3 ( +2 / -5 )

The Tower of the Sun is one of the worst public “works of art” I have ever seen. It ruins that park. Drugs must have been big in Japan during the 1970’s. There is no other rational explanation for that hideous monstrosity.

-2 ( +6 / -8 )

Why does the article only mention cases. What about deaths and hospital capacity? It would give us a better idea whether this red alert is warranted.

4 ( +7 / -3 )

@wolfpack--worse than the spinning swordfish installation that formerly graced Marlins ballpark in Miami?

The trippiest thing at the 1970 Expo was robots the size and shape of business hotels.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

You’d better also quickly think about the next colors.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Declaring an emergency will not stop hospitals being overwhelmed without enforceable, practical measures to help mitigate the virus.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

What comes after red? Things can get a lot worse than 386 new cases. Purple?

6 ( +6 / -0 )

The big face looks even grumpier than usual. This must be serious.

5 ( +6 / -1 )

didouToday  07:28 am JST

Outings are essential for me, otherwise I do not got out.

At least, Japan does not enforce it like so many western countries . At the end, citizens in Japan have much more freedom

japan can’t enforce it. They don’t have the laws in place to do it.

7 ( +7 / -0 )

WolfpackToday  09:53 am JST

The Tower of the Sun is one of the worst public “works of art” I have ever seen. It ruins that park. Drugs must have been big in Japan during the 1970’s. There is no other rational explanation for that hideous monstrosity.

public art will always divide. Personally I like it. Not my favourite, but still good.

the worst public art is something that is generic, easily walked past, and that nobody even notices.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

 At the end, citizens in Japan have much more freedom

Americans say that and now 3000 people a day are dying of covid19

Australia and NZ are basically reopened now , sports events etc, theyre far more free than Japan, both legally and culturally. All because they took the health safety issue far more serious than their personal freedoms, oh shock horror their personal freedoms are now back to normal, look at Japan slowing getting shut down again.

3 ( +9 / -6 )

@ Robert Maes

'Medical staff have left the hospital after being forced to work long hours and in areas that are not their expertise.' [Source: http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/13985445]

'not their area of expertise' is especially key here. Not saying what they did is right or wrong (who am I to judge?) but additional facts shed a different light on what occurred so I'm not sure 'desertion' is the correct term for people quitting their jobs because of inadequate training and working hours.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

overall it is unacceptable for a country like Japan to have less than 2000 beds and not even able to serve those beds and patients, or not wanting too.

You numbers are not correct. Japan is #1 in the world for amount of hospital beds per capita. Japan has 1.53 million hospital beds. 1212 hospital beds per 100,000 people.

-5 ( +2 / -7 )

@CrashTestDummy

Intensive care beds data is what needs to be looked at. Japan sits low among OECD members but the average is skewed due to high numbers in Germany, Austria and the U.S. (!).

Source: https://www.oecd.org/coronavirus/en/data-insights/intensive-care-beds-capacity

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Put those noisy 街宣車, gaisensha election vehicles to good use.

Show the real COVID news on TV instead of food.

It'll wake some people up.

8 ( +8 / -0 )

My partner is a doctor and most of our friends are doctors. They are very angry the are being pressured into boring SARS-CoV-2 high priority schedules. Many doctors I know entered medicine because the have energy and passion for their chosen field. So there is a shortage because most doctors we know don’t trust big pharma pressure and change hospitals.

-4 ( +1 / -5 )

the worst public art is something that is generic, easily walked past, and that nobody even notices.

Given that art in common areas is meant for the masses something that is readily understood and accepted by the masses is optimal in my opinion.

Edgy artwork for the benefit of the artsy crowd is selfish. Private displays on private property is another matter. A remarkable art work can easily be non-controversial and not stick out so embarrassingly as this does. The problem I see is that art over the last 100 years or so is so radically different from anything before. Art used to be considered the pinnacle of human achievement and imagination. Now artists are considering at the top of their game when they place Jesus on the cross in a jar of their own urine. Art has become prurient and unremarkable.

-4 ( +0 / -4 )

Back in May at the end of the first wave. = Apx. 2000 beds.

Today after 7 months of possible govt. action. = Apx. 2000 beds.

9 ( +9 / -0 )

@didou because we have our freedom the virus is spreading. you can go to the gym, hairdresser, pachinco, bars.... all these places closed or limited hours in other countries. thats one reason why we cant shake this thing here. too lax.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

japan can’t enforce it. They don’t have the laws in place to do it.

thats true. other countries would rush through legislation to amend the Constitution. here we just say 'please'.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

@didou because we have our freedom the virus is spreading. you can go to the gym, hairdresser, pachinco, bars.... all these places closed or limited hours in other countries. thats one reason why we cant shake this thing here. too lax.

And yet, they can't seem to shake it in countries where they closed everything down either. Funny that..

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Oh no not red. Hurry everyone to the izakaya before 9pm!

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Fanny GreeneToday 02:33 pm JST

@didou because we have our freedom the virus is spreading. you can go to the gym, hairdresser, pachinco, bars.... all these places closed or limited hours in other countries. thats one reason why we cant shake this thing here. too lax.

The spread is slow, slow.... for such a big country. Measures in place and people behavior are efficient enough.

I do not know in details for all other countries, everyone is different, but when it is closed, it is for most of them because the spread is much faster and worse. That’s the case in Europe.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

@ Speed and @Wobot

Your points are most pertinent

@Zichi

Something must have broken the camel’s back in that hospital-I am guessing that it was not just the virus though...

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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