20200601 (Monday) Coronavirus Digest from Japanese Morning TV News Part 1 (of probably 2): Main news quick sweep
Old habits die hard, so I did a few photos this morning too.
My phone camera was acting up so I couldn’t take many pics anyway.
Not pictured: A wide show segment I briefly caught titled “How to tell whether your symptoms are Covid-19 or the menopause”
See photo captions for brief stories
Photo 01
Today’s Japan Covid-related NHK morning news topics:
– Cluster at an elementary school in Kitakyushu
– School restarts today in many parts of Japan
– Tokyo moves to Step 2 of easing its restrictions
– Tourism restarts around the country
Photo 02
35 new cases today.
5 in Tokyo, 6 each in Kanagawa and Hokkaido.
Another 4 in quarantine after coming back from overseas.
12 in Fukuoka.
Photo 03
Only one new case in Kansai, in Osaka natch.
Photo 04
The Kitakysuhu elementary school student who was confirmed with covid-19 turned out to be part of a cluster of 5 or more.
Photo 05
The girl was confirmed positive on May 28.
Yesterday, 4 cases were confirmed from the girl’s class (all asymptomatic)
[If you remember yesterday, this is due to Kitakyushu recently deciding to change policy and test close contacts even if they are asymptomatic – as you might have assumed was the way that contact tracing is supposed to happen]
Photo 06
12 new cases yesterday brings the total for Kitakyushu to 97 over the last 9 days, of which 34 cases were untraceable.
The Fukuoka prefectural governmental is requesting people voluntarily refrain from going out etc. Meanwhile the central government says it is not worried, as things are in line with its policy of preventing a reignition of a major outbreak by stamping out clusters quickly.
Photo 07
So today is June 1st, and some things are restarting on what NHK termed a “trial and error” basis.
1. Many schools are reopening more fully
2. Tokyo is lifting restrictions (going to Step 2 from today)
3. Recruitment interviews start in earnest this month
Photo 08
For schools, there are concerns about an increase in traffic accidents.
With students going to school at different times on different days (e.g. in the afternoon for half a day) there are schoolchildren walking the streets at times when drivers would not expect to see them. Also with schools closed until now, many new first graders have not had the chance to be fully instructed on or road safety or get used to walking routes to the school.
[For the folks back home: From age 6, as new first graders, students overwhelmingly walk to school alone or in groups, unaccompanied by parents, but often overseen at major junctions etc. by PTA members and other volunteers.]
Photo 09
Here is a list of the places opening up under Tokyo’s Step 2.
I have covered most of these before, so I won’t translate them here, but I thought I would note that driving schools and ENGLISH CONVERSATION SCHOOLS are on the list.