Japan shuts all schools to combat coronavirus

[denem]

Source: Financial Times

Every school in Japan will shut from Monday in an unprecedented move that will affect 13m pupils and leave parents scrambling to find childcare as the country steps up its fight against the coronavirus.

Prime minister Shinzo Abe urged all schools to close — a de facto order from the central government — until the end of the spring break on April 8 in an attempt to reduce social contact and halt the spread of the virus.

The order brings Japan closer to total shutdown and will hit an economy already on the brink of recession as millions of parents are forced to take time off work to look after their children.

“We need to place top priority on the health and safety of our children, and take measures to stem the risk of many children and teachers becoming infected through gathering for long hours every day,” Mr Abe said after a meeting of the government’s antivirus task force on Thursday.

Read more: https://www.ft.com/content/957bf9f6-594f-11ea-a528-dd0f971febbc

[Iliyah]

1. I hope this issue will help . . .

countries around the world better prepare for these types of unfortunate events in the future.

Mother nature sometimes strikes back as a result - man with his never ending destruction of her beloved planet earth.

Continued prayers which encompasses the entire world.

[Lobo27]

9. Your post reminded me of something I heard before.

"The world does not end. Men does."

[Botany]

2. And this will not really stop the spread of the virus that much if at all.

Just my guess.

[Iliyah]

3. The virus is mutanting . . .

[htuttle]

4. The latest I was reading yesterday about COVID-19

A number of prominent virologists were predicting that COVID-19 will be 'with us' permanently, given it's long incubation period, and moderate lethality (as opposed to SARS or Ebola).

So, we'll start having cold, flu and COVID-19 season every year. And it will pop up all year round as well, same as colds and flu. Except the lethality part (20 times that of the 'common' flu).

[DetroitLegalBeagle]

6. You aren't wrong

This can't be contained at this point.

[Voltaire2]

8. quarantine and vaccination are the only tools we have.

And right now we don't have a vaccine. So yeah, while quarantine isn't going to prevent the spread, it will slow it down.

[dalton99a]

5. Looks like there will not be an Olympics this year

[bucolic_frolic]

7. Relax, 98% of people will be fine

Reinfections are rare. Most everyone will catch it. Only 2% of people will die, and those will be the vulnerable populations, old, sick, young. 2% is only 140 million people. Everything is fine as can be.

[BigmanPigman]

10. Corono infects 4 people while regular flu infects 2 people.

I just saw it on MSNBC. This spreads to twice as many people as the flu does. Not a good thing.

[bucolic_frolic]

11. lol the laugh of anxiety & I was being sarcastic

There are actually people trying to calm the public with those statistics.

One doesn't know what to believe. I've read and heard viruses never go away, they just hide in tissues, nerves, fat, bone. Look at shingles, warts - HIV no detectable levels upon cure - but the body builds immunity and holds them in check. I think it too early to tell what Corona19 is all about. Recurring infection might be like chronic fatigue, or could be worse. No one knows. There may be resistant populations.

[BigmanPigman]

12. Yes, one thing we do know is that we DON'T KNOW a lot

and likely may not know much about this for a long time. Magic 8 balls don't work with this one.