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Abe, IOC agree to delay Tokyo Olympics by one year

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51–60 of 138 posts

Re: Abe, IOC agree to delay Tokyo Olympics by one year

#51
post #4

Glad to see the safety of athletes and the public is being protected. I wonder why Japan seems to have such low numbers even though they had coronavirus very early as well as many cases from the cruise ship.

I read yesterday that Japan had administered something like 16,000 COVID-19 tests in total. So I think they're basically not testing and hoping that it goes away.

Re: Abe, IOC agree to delay Tokyo Olympics by one year

#53
post #18

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:…

>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. 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 a…

I think there is nothing wrong with calling the virus ‘Chinese virus’ when a.) the virus came from China. b.) the Chinese government proactively hid the details of the coronavirus to the world until it couldn’t anymore (since it started infecting other countries https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/03/17/china-car... c.) actively trying to pin the origin of the virus on other countries like Italy https://www.reddit.com/r/China_Flu/comments/fo5lrq/italian_s... and US

Re: Abe, IOC agree to delay Tokyo Olympics by one year

#54
post #9
post #5

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.

I think that more than masks, Japanese are more fastidious about handwashing. For example, Japanese restaurants routinely supply a wet Handi-Wipe with your meal -- even McDonald's.

And they don't shake hands. That's a very easy way to transfer germs, and endemic to Western culture.

Re: Abe, IOC agree to delay Tokyo Olympics by one year

#55
post #18

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:…

It’s very clearly the CCP’s fault. This is basically the CCP’s Chernobyl moment

(Note: I said CCP not China. The Chinese people are also very much victims of the CCP’s culture of suppression of information here. Wuhan never should have suffered as much as it did).

Re: Abe, IOC agree to delay Tokyo Olympics by one year

#56
post #20
post #4

Glad to see the safety of athletes and the public is being protected. I wonder why Japan seems to have such low numbers even though they had coronavirus very early as well as many cases from the cruise ship.

What's interesting is that none of the answers seem definitive. 1) 'Mask wearing' - we know even cloth masks will help reduce spread, but not by what factor overall. We don't know the real vectors here. 2) Someone mentioned 'hygiene' - do the Japanese really wash their hands every time they enter the house? Or do they 'rinse their food' i.e. maybe package handling is a big vector. 3) 'Early border closing' - it only…

Some other possible factors I have considered beyond the above are:

Effective local government response (contact tracing and closures) when a case is detected. Japan does seem to do a good job at disaster preparation and response generally.

Possibly some climate-related advantage. Japan has a fairly humid climate and the Tokyo area is starting to see some warmer weather now.

Re: Abe, IOC agree to delay Tokyo Olympics by one year

#57
post #18

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:…

Very anectdotal, but the three Japanese persons I know have told me that people in Japan are generally negative towards holding an Olympics and think it's just a waste of resources.

Re: Abe, IOC agree to delay Tokyo Olympics by one year

#58

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.

Of course; we just can't say that part out loud otherwise there would be a run on masks and the healthcare workers would be in such a shortage it would further exacerbate the strain on the healthcare system.

Is there not already a run on masks? More like the truth is not being said because then people would be more inclined to ask questions like why the "greatest country on earth" is unable to procure basic necessities for a crisis, especially with two months to prepare.

Re: Abe, IOC agree to delay Tokyo Olympics by one year

#59
post #18

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:…

Very anectdotal, but the three Japanese persons I know have told me that people in Japan are generally negative towards holding an Olympics and think it's just a waste of resources.

This is a very common "populist" view when the Olympics are held locally... true here in the US when the Olympics were in LA and Atlanta.

Re: Abe, IOC agree to delay Tokyo Olympics by one year

#60
post #18

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:…

Infantilizing an entire country. This is an interesting take on the state of things.
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