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Australia declares emergency; invokes new powers to fight coronavirus

26 Comments
By Swati Pandey and Colin Packham

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© Thomson Reuters 2020.

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26 Comments
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So when is Japan going to do this?

For those of you old enough the Japanese government now appears more like a combination of Alfred E. Neuman of Mad Magazine (What we worry?) and an entity lacking leadership and concern for the Japanese citizens and residents of Japan

15 ( +15 / -0 )

unAustralian

What does that mean?

-4 ( +2 / -6 )

Don't know if this means I should go home? My life is in Japan, but the Japanese Government isn't exactly handling the situation well.

10 ( +10 / -0 )

@Rosalind... yep! Time to leave Japan. Australian embassy’s globally will not assist Australians if the have some problems so it’s safer to be back home. Other countries will soon follow the same policy. I think India, Canada and a few other countries have started to implement similar policies. As a foreigner if you get into problems in Japan and your embassy can’t assist you then you’re screwed! Even if you fall sick and there aren’t enough hospital beds ( Aichi in particular ) then of course the Japanese people will be prioritized instead of foreigner ( it’s only right because this is their country ). In cases of emergencies Japanese will be prioritized instead of foreigners in Japan. Passport issues and other documentation issues might also arise and without embassy assistance things would be tough. The biggest problem could be if your loved ones back home get seriously sick or a death occurs ( unrelated to the virus ) but if the boarders are closed then you’ll miss the chance to even attend their funeral. Taking all these into consideration I’ve decided to bid farewell to Japan. But if you feel that as a foreigner you are ok in Japan without any assistance from your countries authorities then no harm in staying here.

7 ( +10 / -3 )

@MikeH... good points! I’ve also said farewell to Japan and crying with sadness as if my whole world collapsed while heading back home! Going to miss Japan!

13 ( +13 / -0 )

@Mike / @Mag... same here! My English language company gave us a long vacation from last months and not sure when they are to resume so it looked pretty bleak! Heading back home since boarders are closing and I don’t want to be stuck in Japan! Stay safe people...

11 ( +11 / -0 )

@Mike H

Interesting points, though I'd question what evidence you have for the assertion that hospitals will prioritize Japanese over foreign residents.

-2 ( +7 / -9 )

Heading back before boarders close indefinitely! Without embassy assistance it will be tough to survive in Japan during emergencies as someone mentioned above. All foreigners and Japanese as well be safe during these uncertain times!

11 ( +11 / -0 )

@ADK99...What Mike said about prioritizing a countries own citizens ( Japanese in this case ) is totally valid and justified. The Japanese Government have the power to do so in cases of emergencies!

0 ( +1 / -1 )

This is my home, I ain’t a flyjin. I’ll suck it up and take it as it comes. Wash your hands people and limit going out unnecessarily!

3 ( +10 / -7 )

 But if you feel that as a foreigner you are ok in Japan without any assistance from your countries authorities then no harm in staying here.

I've never felt that the US embassy would help me with anything, so yeah, I'm good here in Japan.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

 I don’t want to be stuck in Japan! Stay safe people...

Stuck in Japan? Beats having to fight off toilet paper bandits in Australia!

9 ( +9 / -0 )

My wife and her parents are Japanese so no, I won’t be packing up and going home either. In fact, being a foreigner in Japan might have some problems but I think for health care it’s probably still much better than back home.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

Origin probably lies in the equally unfathomable term "unAmerican" i.e. a really useful term that can adapt to mean whatever the user wants it to mean. Often used in Australian politics to describe anyone who opposes whatever it is you want to get done, or to disparage them personally for not believing in whatever you believe in, or even for just not being the same kind of person you are. Can be used by right, left, whatever.

Cheers. Sounds about right.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

This is interesting reading this article and the subsequent coments.

It seems people are starting to leave Japan as a result of this virus. I believe people have left other countries too for the same reason (such as China).

It sounds like here people are leaving due to a lack of faith in the government's ability to handle this virus and also a concern about receiving proper medical treatment here. These both seem like valid concerns.

It would be interesting to hear if others are considering leaving either temporarily or permanently.

As for me, I am pretty much locked down here but certainly would not criticize anyone leaving.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

To avoid unnecessary stockpiling, it is much more constructive if Scott Morrison started to introduce rationing to the population today. Without having adequate essentials, the Australian despairers would not survive during the lockdowns for months or even a year.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Was just home in Australia last week and although there’s no place like home, sitting around in a cafe for an afternoon watching the roving hordes of substance abuse stragglers left behind by the boom economy scoring their gear, a headstrong polarized nation that don’t like to be told what to do ( nor afraid of a bit of biffo) I let a few scenarios play out in my head. The rough diamond it’s been called and thats exactly what it is. Swift action is gunna be needed to tame these party animals. Hope the Australian spirit of community and mateship starts to shine once again. If it doesn’t, well I’m sorta glad I’m back here in sushiland where people know how to wear masks , behave and keep a lid on it when times are hard!

The only worry over here is the ‘Too many indians, not enough chiefs’ factor. ( the polar opposite of the West ) Whether a power based on seniority that is used to complacency and indecisiveness, rather than one based on competence and meritocracy, will be up to the difficult tasks ahead We shall certainly find out. One thing is for sure, we are going to learn a lot about systems, leaders and even ourselves.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

@Hung

It is an interesting dilemma of which you speak. There are many viewpoints on this.

I am American living here in Japan so I will use some U.S. resources

James Wesley Rawles is a hard core prepper/survivalist but he is quite rational in my opinion. One of my good friends who is not necessarily into prepping met him once and walked away with the feeling he is genuine and it changed his mind on some stuff. He is an ex U.S. Army intelligence officer). He believes what he believes and I have been following him for years. He publishes a "list of lists" which is available for free on line (link below). A lockdown of 30 days requires a great deal amount of food and organization. A lockdown for a year even more.

https://survivalblog.com/newbies/ (go to resources list of lists)

The Mormon Church (I am not a Mormon but they really have some great resources) also has some tremendous resources (free) about food storage and how to allocate.

If everyone prepared themselves for something over time (even if they prepared themselves for a week or 2) then the shock to the system would be much less when this type of event occurs.

I understand about your feelings about government rationing however in the end if the SHTF in a big way the government will take care of themselves and we will be left on our own to deal with this.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

There needs to be major changes how countries deal with these pandemics. Scientists working together instead of duplicating the research work.

So much THIS. Share research information, don't hoard and don't monopolize for some big pharma to try to control an effective vaccine. But the countries of the world have a long way to go when it comes to this sadly.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

@MikeH

I've never used the Australian embassy in a lifetime of travel, so I doubt I'll have to use it now. My only concern is not being able to go back to Australia (for a visit) further down the line. My job, apartment, savings etc. is all here in Japan. I don't know what I would be able to do in Australia except mooch off my parents.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

@Tokyo–Engr,

Thank you for exchanging your thought about the stockpiling issues and how to be self-sustain in case of crisis. Your link is surely a useful source. In this COVID 19 outbreak, it seems that numerous ethnic groups – who came from war-torn countries – tend to cope with the crisis better than others.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

@Hung....no worries.

it seems that numerous ethnic groups – who came from war-torn countries – tend to cope with the crisis better than others

This is 1,000% true as those from these countries have been through this type of situation before.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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