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Earlier quoted context omitted.
That's sad but what does "let Japan know that this is not their fault" even mean?
As a global community we should come to and express the (IMO) correct conclusion that Japan did an amazing (perhaps the best) job of containing this, and it was still the right thing for them to postpone the 2020 olympics.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I conjecture that since there is a cultural norm of wearing masks when sick, everyone had masks at home. Because of this, they put the masks on when apparently-healthy to avoid getting sick. Because of this, the asymptomatic people didn't spread the virus nearly as much.
Masks also help you avoid getting the virus if you’re not infected. It’s a complete myth that they don’t; literally all research points in the same direction.
In most places, there's simply not enough masks to protect those most at risk (eg: healthcare workers who are constantly in contact with infected patients) AND to have everyone in the community using them.
Improper use of masks is at best pointless, at worst can actually make things worse. The vast majority of people are not used to wearing PPE or dealing with contaminated items. It requires some level of training to fit and wear a mask correctly, and how to properly dispose of them.
You see this with a number of people touching the outside of their mask, and then scratching their face/nose/eyes. or pulling their mask down below their nose, or where it's not even properly sealed around their mouth.
More so than the games themselves in July, you have to consider all of the training and qualifiers that the athletes must participate in leading up to the games. All of that has been put on hold, making it impossible to properly prepare for the games even if the virus were to somehow be totally eliminated by July. There was no other possible outcome.
also a ton of investments for events, tourism that may or may not be doable months later.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Masks also help you avoid getting the virus if you’re not infected. It’s a complete myth that they don’t; literally all research points in the same direction.
This is repeated a lot, however just like most things - there's more nuance to it than just "wear masks". In most places, there's simply not enough masks to protect those most at risk (eg: healthcare workers who are constantly in contact with infected patients) AND to have everyone in the community using them. Improper use of masks is at best pointless, at worst can actually make things worse. The vast majority of pe…
Masks protect the wearer. This is blatantly obvious and scientific reality. Messages to the contrary are absolute propaganda (for instance a common line is "there is no evidence to show protection for civilians"[1] --- because there has never been a study for that case. Yet it's a specious, absurd claim because we know the masks are protective).
Yes, masks are in short supply. This doesn't make misinformation acceptable (including the absurd, anti-reality claim that unless you're perfectly trained and certified perfectly fitted it is "pointless", which is just ridiculous noise). People already touch their face hundreds to thousands of times a day, so the other fear mongering "you'll adjust it" is another bit of nonsensical noise.
As supplies ramp up and we have to return to some semblance of normal society, masks will not only be seen prevalently, they'll be encouraged as one mechanism of controlling spread. And at the time it'll be interesting how all of the propagandists change their tune.
[1] Excluding the evidence in front of our eyes where countries where mask use is prevalent are seeing little spread.
Had to happen: If they tried to have it, there would have been no crowd and all the athletes would get it like wildfire (The Olympic Village has a lot of Tinder activity, at least). That doesn't even account for the sad reality that some athletes can't go due to the virus (already). At least three of the South Korean Fencing team (Very likely medal contenders) are confirmed positive, for example.
I'd be more concerned that there would be a crowd and that it would greatly affect Japan's population given how a significant proportion are elderly.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Masks also help you avoid getting the virus if you’re not infected. It’s a complete myth that they don’t; literally all research points in the same direction.
Yes, if we somehow manage to get a massive supply of masks, I expect all officials to do a 180 turn and ask everyone to wear them. The problem now is that we don't have enough, so we downplay their effectiveness, to limit panic buying and to make sure that people who need them the most get them. It is a perfectly understandable, though a little dishonest strategy. Also, we don't to give people a false sense of securi…
If masks should be diverted to hospitals, then the correct action would be to divert them to hospitals, not to lie to people.
We need to let Japan know that this is not their fault. It's ingrained in Japanese culture that they often put too much pressure on themselves. They might think if they had put extra 120% effort, the Olympics would have gone as scheduled. But this is not on them. Although it's only speculation, we wouldn't want another case of heartbreaking suicide[0] because of a Japanese blaming himself/herself too much. [0] https:…
I can't help but think this is such a bizarre take.
"Japan" and the Japanese people aren't children. We don't need to reassure "them" of anything, as if their culture collectively precludes them of realizing that the Coronavirus isn't "their fault". As if they're too naive and caught up in same bushido notion of honor and dignity. A quick few moments on Japanese Twitter around news of the virus will show the intense xenophobia[0][1], with highly liked/retweeted posts directed almost entirely at Koreans and Chinese people, and praising Trump calling it the "Chinese virus".
I know Twitter isn't representative of the Japanese population, but I'm highly skeptical of the idea that "Japan" is down in the dumps, thinking they only could have done better for the olympics. From what I can gather, a large chunk of the Japanese population didn't want the olympics anyway.
[0] From Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_incidents_of_xenophobi...
[1] A quick search of the trending tag "#ChineseDontComeToJapan" and the corresponding Japanese-language tag "#中国人は日本に来るな" and related posts (example of a popular anti-Chinese people post: https://twitter.com/mobirufosugang2/status/12391799224944803... - other posts in the thread emphasize the beauty of Kyoto without "Chinese and Koreans")
Had to happen: If they tried to have it, there would have been no crowd and all the athletes would get it like wildfire (The Olympic Village has a lot of Tinder activity, at least). That doesn't even account for the sad reality that some athletes can't go due to the virus (already). At least three of the South Korean Fencing team (Very likely medal contenders) are confirmed positive, for example.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
That's sad but what does "let Japan know that this is not their fault" even mean?
As a global community we should come to and express the (IMO) correct conclusion that Japan did an amazing (perhaps the best) job of containing this, and it was still the right thing for them to postpone the 2020 olympics.
Had to happen: If they tried to have it, there would have been no crowd and all the athletes would get it like wildfire (The Olympic Village has a lot of Tinder activity, at least). That doesn't even account for the sad reality that some athletes can't go due to the virus (already). At least three of the South Korean Fencing team (Very likely medal contenders) are confirmed positive, for example.