Japanese TV finally questions the necessity of masking all the time
Thanks to constitutional and legal restraints on government powers, Japan doesn’t have legally enforceable mask mandates, only recommendations and guidance. However, the Japanese have worn masks constantly for two years due to the power of propaganda, peer-pressure, and political pronouncements.
When can we take off our masks? PM Kishida, “It’s hard to answer”
But now, Japanese TV finally got round to asking whether there are some situations where masks might actually be unnecessary [full segment can be viewed here].
First up is Dr Takaji Wakita, head of the National Institute of Infectious Diseases, telling members of parliament that he recommends unmasking outdoors when a sufficient distance from anyone else in order to avoid the risk of heatstroke. Of course, he provides no evidence that “sufficient distance” actually makes a difference (there isn’t any). And yes, Japan is even now still using those pointless partitions. Very scientific.
Next, Prof Koji Wada, a member of the Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare Advisory Board, says that you don’t need to wear a mask if you’re not talking.
He obviously doesn’t provide any evidence that talking with or without a mask makes a difference (there isn’t any), but he does provide specific examples of times masks are unnecessary such as walking a dog, visiting a library, and listening silently to a teacher.
Now, you may find this advice as inane as being told you don’t need to open your umbrella indoors. But indoor umbrellas were actually another stupid anti-Covid measure implemented to maintain social distance, so yes, people in Japan do need to be told it’s okay to not wear a mask outside and not open your umbrella in an art gallery.
And you need to remember that Japanese TV has for 2 years promoted nonsense like the eat-mask…
…and masking with your relatives not just in the living room but also in the bath.
So having an authority say you don’t need to wear a mask while walking your dog is a welcome relief. Although the fact it’s taken these so-called two years to admit something so obvious is pretty depressing.
And even before Covid caused mask mania, mask addition was a problem in Japan…
…so weening the Japanese public off masks will take some effort. That said, some Japanese find going maskless very easy.
It’s almost as if the above question isn’t that hard for Prime Minister Kishida to answer after all.