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Abe urges people with cold-like symptoms to avoid work, school

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Which tells me you are unfamiliar with what that piece of paperwork actually is! It's not the paper and ink, it's the doctors time, plus since they are not "essential" they are not covered by insurance, so hospitals can charge what ever they want. Not to mention they are also official documents as well and could stand up in a court of law here!

You pay a notary public for their signature, it's similar to that, but it's also putting the doctor's reputation on the line as well.

Yes, I am not familiar about what this document is. And neither hid it. As you say yourself, doctor provide receipt and proscription and that do not amount to that much money, so for doctor time moreover since now it is more like adding a number of day and pushing "enter" then printing than doing some high level calligraphy. As you say yourself this document is an official document. Thus this document is necessary as a proof that you are not able to attend work. As one is not a medecine doctor, one can not provide any proof that the absence of work was legally valid without this document, or is in Japan unjustified absence of work not a valid reason for contract termination ? Moreover isn't this document needed when applying to "health leave" ? So how is this document not essential ? Nobody is asking for it to be covered by insurance. That should obviously be part of the package or just stop existing altogether.

How is paying 5000yens going to protect the doctor reputation ? If you can pay, you are really ill. If not you are faking it. Or something like that ?

How is the doctor reputation going to be when asking highly contagious poor people to choose in between going to work or loosing it, having to pay compensation to their company, ... (and stuff like that) because they can not afford this kind of money ? Is it going to be the usual : poor fault, after all that is just around 5 days of food, they can make a effort to protect other ; the doctor did nothing bad ?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Good luck Abe. The Japanese work ethic being what it is, I find that unlikely

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Have u met with 2 japanese men that trys to incubate the corona virius in a small room with 24 degrees and still drinking wines ???.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday advised people across the country not to go to work or school if they develop cold-like symptoms, as the country grapples with the spread of a new coronavirus originating in China.

Will they get sick pay?

The number of confirmed cases in Japan has topped 600, including over 500 passengers and crew on the Diamond Princess, a quarantined cruise ship docked at Yokohama near Tokyo with more than 3,000 confined.

So around 100 cases then...

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Rather than urge a premium friday or reduction of working hours or like this new gem here to take a leave from work if people get cold symptoms how about to make some consistent laws that will make all that nice fluff real?

Very few people have the luxury to stay home because of cold symptoms.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

He is out of touch with the common folks in his own country.

Even if, it's the law, people can not stay home because someone else will be seating on his/her desk when they come back......

3 ( +3 / -0 )

"The first thing that I want the people of Japan to keep in mind is to take time off school or work and refrain from leaving the house if they develop cold-like symptoms such as fever,"

Money talks, Abe! Money talks!

0 ( +1 / -1 )

"urging" never works in Japan. Most companies did nothing. Morning and evening trains still packed, events still being run.

Even if you make it into law many Japanese companies would ignore it, how effective does the government think "urging" would do?

Furthermore, sick leave are unpaid, barely anyone would be taking time off if they are sick. Also most Japanese companies have a complex system of rules which make sick leave/vacations pretty much impossible without a 1-2 week notice.

This would never work. Japan will be Wuhan x 100, with no quarantines/isolation and no capacity to treat the severe patients. Since Japan can only test 3000 a day, the official "numbers" should remain low enough for the Olympics???

0 ( +0 / -0 )

 Moreover than you do not seem to see the problem with paying more than 10 yens to cover the paper and ink cost.

Which tells me you are unfamiliar with what that piece of paperwork actually is! It's not the paper and ink, it's the doctors time, plus since they are not "essential" they are not covered by insurance, so hospitals can charge what ever they want. Not to mention they are also official documents as well and could stand up in a court of law here!

You pay a notary public for their signature, it's similar to that, but it's also putting the doctor's reputation on the line as well.

Because they cost money out of pocket, my company does not require them when people get the flu and can not come to work, all we have to show is the receipt or proscription for medication as "proof".

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Bwa-hahaha! Right... soooo... my hayfever symptoms, which are much like that of a cold, should make my company co-workers understand that I should be allowed to stay home and work from there permanently until all symptoms disappear. And, things are pretty flexible with me to begin with. Company Taro would NEVER be allowed to stay home from work. NEVER. Or if he did, after testing positive, he'd still have to use paid leave and telework from home.

7 ( +7 / -0 )

If kids take a day off JHS, will it go down as an absence? If they are 3rd grade, won't it be totted up and count against them when applying to senior high schools?

Some kids in my daughter's school miss school for about six weeks a year for club activities. Because it is sanctioned, it doesn't go down as an absence. Miss one day for illness or a family matter though, and that will count against you.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

what is this idiotism again...

either you mandate telework, mandate as in command all capable companies to start immediately.

or you shut up and go away... its like a joke.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

The cost of the doctors certificate depends TOTALLY on the hospital! Down here, no one pays 5,000 yen.

Sounds to me like your doctor ripped you off!

Good for you. Moreover than you do not seem to see the problem with paying more than 10 yens to cover the paper and ink cost.

The first I heard of that, I just thought it was in the like of bribery and ransoming. No matter how much effort I put thinking about it since them, I still do not see anything logical with it.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

The cost of the doctors certificate depends TOTALLY on the hospital! Down here, no one pays 5,000 yen.

Sounds to me like your doctor ripped you off!

Hospitals I've been to in Gunma, Tochigi and Tokyo also charged me between 4,500 and 5,000 for certificates. Even after riding an ambulance, the cost for that certificate was an additional 5,000 (coz apparently everyone seeing I left my workplace in an ambulance was not enough proof that I was sick).

6 ( +6 / -0 )

Japan one of the wealthiest countries in the world, it's time to use all that sick leave!

6 ( +6 / -0 )

Sick leave here means providing first a doctor certificate which costs around 5000 yens.

The cost of the doctors certificate depends TOTALLY on the hospital! Down here, no one pays 5,000 yen.

Sounds to me like your doctor ripped you off!

-4 ( +1 / -5 )

Since this outbreak occurred as a result on a country who decided to enhance the original strain pathogen

That is demonstrably false, there is nothing synthetic about this virus and its appearance has been expected from decades ago, its as easy to predict as saying that people that don't wash their hands have much more chances of getting sick.

The virus has been isolated in several countries and its genetic sequence fully sequenced, there is no place where a manipulation could be hidden, nor needed because this is exactly how viral pathogens survive.

2 ( +5 / -3 )

Hey Abe, hope ya get it.

How about ya do something like regulating the free market sale of masks and hand sanitizer here by the pond scum that are taking advantage of the situation? The South Korean government has.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Not going to advise people to see the doctor?

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

This guy shouldn't speak at all, no one listening to you.

Where are you from? Are you from Japan? Stay home from School and work?

Maybe the 1% can do anything they want, any time they want,but rest of the working folks actually work for living or go to some sort of school.

How about some constructive plans such as we are going to increase testing facilities both public and private locations, we are going to shorten the testing process, we are going to test all the seniors who has flu or flu like systems, we will be setting up quarantine facilities/hospital for the infected through Japan, for those trying to profits from selling Masks and sanitizers will be prosecuted.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

"The first thing that I want the people of Japan to keep in mind is to take time off school or work and refrain from leaving the house if they develop cold-like symptoms such as fever,"

Ha! Good luck with that!

Get ready for an epidemic, as it seems to me, that whenever Abe "urges" something, the direct opposite happens! There are too many examples in the recent past to support this!

Exactly!!!

If anything, the is the ONE urge I hope comes true! Abe is leaving a legacy of failed "urges" here!

Spot on!!

Abe has spoken, so it shall (most definitely) not be done.

> How about those who can't "telework"? How about those who highly depend on their salaries?

> All this talking (that's all it is!) is highly ineffective. Come up with better ideas, if you got any!

They don't. They're just pulling this out of you-know-where. Shooting from the 'hip'. There is no game plan. The gov does not know what its doing. That much is pretty obvious.

This is great and all if you are a regular full time employee of a large company or the government, but if you are self employed or a contract worker needing that pay check, what do you do then? Will there be some form of compensation for these people? I think not. So people will continue to go to work, and more and more will get sick, and there is nothing Abe can do about it.

Exactly! Born with a silver spoon in a silver diaper Abe again demonstrates he doesn't know what he's talking about.

Thats an actual response! You can’t urge people to get a pay cut.

Exactly! And guess what- people working at the conbinis, supermarkets, izakayas are mostly part time, so they're most likely not going to take time off. And if one of THEM gets infected, well then that's it.

-3 ( +3 / -6 )

That's a good idea, there's only one problem. You can have the virus and be contagious days before you yourself show any symptoms.

That is apparently a very rare exception, the paper on the New England Journal of Medicine that supported this as a frequent thing is actually wrong, apparently the authors did not even asked the patient if she was feeling well or not, and when reporters followed the story it was discovered she was extremely symptomatic when the contagion happened.

1 ( +5 / -4 )

When will this incompetent waste get replaced by genuine leadership? Urge? If there's anyone in japan here, best to prepare for the worst.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Maybe Abe should make this an arrow from a bow, and shoot for a unlimited paid days off for all employees in the month ahead?

Thats an actual response! You can’t urge people to get a pay cut.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

HAhahahah!!

The Politicians have no idea. Most people HAVE to go to work just to make ends meet because of low salaries, no benefits, and large taxation.

12 ( +13 / -1 )

This is great and all if you are a regular full time employee of a large company or the government, but if you are self employed or a contract worker needing that pay check, what do you do then? Will there be some form of compensation for these people? I think not. So people will continue to go to work, and more and more will get sick, and there is nothing Abe can do about it.

7 ( +10 / -3 )

Sick leave here means providing first a doctor certificate which costs around 5000 yens.

Then a special demand has to be done and the wage( not at 100% ?) will , I think, be paid by the public welfare system if missing work for more than 3 days.

In any case, a pain in a arse, unless really needed for long health issues

3 ( +7 / -4 )

Workplaces in the country, known for their long hours, need to encourage people to take days off without hesitation if they do not feel well, Abe said.

Did he just admit that he knows some companies overwork their staff?

9 ( +12 / -3 )

The international school, where I work, told all workers that, if they didn't take their flu vaccinations, then any time off for "flu" (or possibly flu-like symptoms) world not be accepted for "sick pay".

7 ( +8 / -1 )

Urging people to stay away from work if they are sick is one thing. However, assuring the companies will not fire these people for their absence is a completely different thing.

23 ( +24 / -1 )

Japan govt has to follow China's example to pay for everything.

11 ( +14 / -3 )

That's a good idea, there's only one problem. You can have the virus and be contagious days before you yourself show any symptoms.

10 ( +13 / -3 )

Who's going to provide pay for these "sick days?"

23 ( +25 / -2 )

"The first thing that I want the people of Japan to keep in mind is to take time off school or work and refrain from leaving the house if they develop cold-like symptoms such as fever," Abe told a meeting of a government task force on the viral outbreak.

Well, PM Abe needs to pass a law protecting the rights of the worker to do this otherwise there will scenes in Japan reminiscent of those in China!

6 ( +6 / -0 )

Workplaces in the country, known for their long hours, need to encourage people to take days off without hesitation if they do not feel well, Abe said.

So they still need to take their paid holliday not sick holiday even in this kind of emergency situation.

11 ( +12 / -1 )

Get ready for an epidemic, as it seems to me, that whenever Abe "urges" something, the direct opposite happens! There are too many examples in the recent past to support this!

If anything, the is the ONE urge I hope comes true! Abe is leaving a legacy of failed "urges" here!

15 ( +17 / -2 )

Right urge.

10 ( +11 / -1 )

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