People should be thorough in taking basic precautions to stop the spread of the disease, such as mask wearing and washing hands.

Oh, please.

Fortunately Japan has not yet seen the polarization of health interventions (such as the basic hygiene measures mentioned) as in other countries, so there is a good chance most of the population can follow the recommendations as long as a good enough effort is made to inform everybody.

True, virusrex. Many Japanese are still wearing masks in the open air on a windy day or alone in cars so getting them to wear them again should be no problem.

True, virusrex. Many Japanese are still wearing masks in the open air on a windy day or alone in cars so getting them to wear them again should be no problem.

Contrary to what scientific illiterate people like to misrepresent masks are not such a burden for a lot of people, so they can wear them when it becomes too troublesome to remove them and wear them again repeatedly, or when riding a car that they share with other people that may be at risk (or sick) without any real inconvenience.

Compared with being irresponsible and not wearing a mask when it is indicated, wearing one too much is no real problem, except of course for those that want to force others into ignoring valid and demonstrated recommendations.

＠Moonraker

"Many Japanese are still wearing masks in the open air on a windy day or alone in cars"

That is probably because many Japanese suffer from hay fever, which is rife at the moment.

I had walking pneumonia a couple of months back. I do wash my hands a lot, but don't and didn't wear a mask unless I was indoors and in a crowd because the cough is pretty rough. I stayed home over the peak of it.

It was a high fever, which wasn't too bad, and a cough. It required two courses of antibiotics to clear my lungs but the cough lingered, and my ribs took a beating from all the coughing and hacking. Then I got a hemorrhoid - not sure if that was related.

All in all, about 4- 6 weeks soup to nuts.

Mask only prevent hand to mouth contact. You can tell people to wash their hand al day but making people were a mask stop the virus contact from hand to mouth. You do realise 99.9 % of humans are forever playing, rubbing touching their mouth nose area constantly. We even do it in our sleep. And to say Japanese are still wearing mask is a really unaware because in Japan 50 % of the p[oulation were wearing masks before the pandemic and those wearing mask now are those who had always worn a mask.

Mask only prevent hand to mouth contact

This is mistaken, it has been proved scientifically without any reasonable doubt that masking importantly lowers the transmission of diseases that transmit by respiratory droplets, and that includes mycoplasma. The main mechanism of action on the masks is not preventing people from touching their mouths.

And to say Japanese are still wearing mask is a really unaware because in Japan 50 % of the p[oulation were wearing masks before the pandemic and those wearing mask now are those who had always worn a mask.

You are not demonstrating that it is incorrect to say that japanese are still wearing masks, you are just giving another reason why this is the case. Lots of people really enjoy not getting any respiratory infection thanks to the use of masks, so much that even without any special outbreak they will keep doing it even if only to avoid the occasional cold.

Are you opposed to washing hands? This disease is going through many schools, including my kids'. People are out for weeks with it, so it seems like something you don't want to get.

Oh, please

Masks are overrated.

Masks are overrated.

According to the people that deal with respiratory infections they are not, if anything they are underrated as a tool to prevent them.