Despite normal tourists still being banned from entering and sports fans still being banned from chanting, cases in Japan are still rising!
So now the upper house election is out of the way, Japan’s politicians can now turn to face the 7th wave and offer concrete (and predictable) solutions like…more jabs!
Specifically, 4th shots will now be offered to not only the over 60s and immunocompromised but also 8 million people working in medical institutions and elderly care homes. Lucky for them! Kishida is also calling on young double-jabbers to get their 3rd shots. It’s a shame they don’t actually work, as triple-jabbed former vaccine minister (oh, the irony) Taro Kono showed this week.
I’m sure it’s completely unrelated, but the Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare (MHLW) re-extended the expiry date for Pfizer’s shot from 9 to 12 months (it was originally 6) in late April, so any jabs due to expire in May will now expire in August. Let’s just hope enough sheep people take Kishida’s advice so that the expiry date doesn’t have to be put back again.
The National Governors’ Association (NGA) also met this week to think up some solutions to Japan’s annual summer case surge. Their past proposals include a lockdown last summer (thankfully Japan managed to survive without one)…
… and wearing masks at home in February this year.
So what brain farts did they let out this time? From here: “The coronavirus response headquarters of the National Governors' Association compiled a set of recommendations to the government on Tuesday, including expanded free lab tests and financial support to the tourism industry.”
Before you say “That’s a waste of money, but it doesn’t sound too dumb,” they specifically requested that people take tests before going on trips or to events regardless of symptoms. The NGA says this will help to prevent infections while maintaining socioeconomic activities. But like Taro Kono showing the jabs don’t stop infections, another minister showed pre-travel asymptomatic testing actually gets in the way of maintaining socioeconomic activities this week too.
“Makishima tested positive for the virus when she took a PCR test before her scheduled return to Japan. She is asymptomatic and staying in a hotel”.
And in Japan, if you test positive without symptoms after taking a pointless pre-trip or pre-event test like Ms. Makishima, not only will your plans be ruined but also you and your close contacts still have to isolate for a week too.
This problem was further clarified by Shimane governor Tetsuya Maruyama, who looks like Kin Jong Un’s mean older brother.
In the face of rising cases, he told his constituents to stock up 5 days’ worth of toilet paper and food in case in a household member tests positive and has to recuperate at home. Thankfully, the toilet paper wars of 2020 haven’t reoccurred yet.
As for the NGA’s other request for the national government to spend more money to support Japan’s battered tourism industry, a more logical solution considering Japan’s miserable economic situation would be to fully reopen the border to foreign tourists and make Japan a more attractive destination by toning down the mask mania. But the MHLW has other ideas.
So the MHLW wants to allow hotels to refuse entry to guests who aren’t wearing masks and don’t want to use hand sanitizer. Notice the partitions the MHLW are still using on their tables? It’s like 2020 never ended.
So to see off the 7th wave, Japan is again putting its faith in the unholy trinity of Covidism: jabs, tests, and masks. At this point, they’re taking on the trappings of religious ritualism. But is that such a bad thing? After all, religion gives people reason to live. And that’s something quite a few people in Japan could do with these days.
I am sure the 4th Booster will be Effective... not Safe... but definitely Effective... or maybe it will be the 10th... or 15th... just need to keep at it ... and doing what Dr Fauci tells us...
More Boosters! MORE!!!!