What's going on with the Novel Coronavirus???

Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) - What is it?

The COVID-19 is a new strain of coronavirus. The video above was released by the World Health Organization on January 31, 2019 and gives a brief explanation of it.

US Travel Alerts due to COVID-19 (as of February 29, 2020)

Level 4 (Do Not Travel): China, Iran, Lombardy/Veneto (Italy), Daegu (South Korea)
Level 3 (Reconsider Travel): South Korea, Italy, Mongolia
Level 2 (Exercise Increased Caution): Japan, Hong Kong/Macau (China)
Level 1 (Exercise Normal Precautions)


COVID-19 Case Numbers from WHO (as of March 1, 2020)

Click here for updated map information from WHO.

Sooo....How's Japan? 

Japan has 239 cases (not including the cases from the isolated Diamond Princess cruise ship) out of a population of 126.8 million people. There are efforts going on to help contain the spread, especially since Japan will be hosting the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Japan has spent a lot of time and money getting ready for the Olympics, but with COVID-19 there is debate regarding whether it should be cancelled. It will depend on how the disease progresses in the coming weeks; currently it is believed that it is in the early stages of infection. Historically, the Olympics have only ever been cancelled due to World Wars I and II.

Since the beginning of February, face masks and hand sanitizers have been selling like crazy and have even started to become scarce in parts of Japan. Stores have had to put out signs limiting the purchase of face masks to one per customer, although it's worth noting that there is debate regarding the degree to which wearing a face mask offers protection from the virus. Airlines have reduced or completely suspended their flights to China.

In mid-February, Katsunobu Kato, Japan's Health Minister released a statement asking the public to "avoid non-urgent, non-essential gatherings...to avoid crowded places." Various public events have been cancelled following his statement, although many have also gone on as scheduled. One of the the cancelled events was the Himeji Marathon that was going to be held on February 23rd. There has also been a spread of information on proper hand washing in public bathrooms and in schools.

Signage explaining proper hand-washing procedure in a public restroom - Chinese, English, Japanese

Thursday evening on February 27th, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe issued a request for schools to close starting Monday, March 2nd, 2020. The school year in Japan ends in March, so students would not go to school the last couple of weeks of their school year before spring break. Teachers held meetings on Friday to prepare for the shutdown and give students the coursework that was not covered in classes. Given the short notice, each school is dealing with the request the best they can. Some schools are still having classes Monday and Tuesday before closing down. Others had Friday be their last day. Students for all schools do not have classes, but teachers may or may not still be required to work at school. Other schools may allow their teachers to work remotely, something that is also being allowed in some Japanese companies.

Overall, Blake and I aren't extremely concerned about COVID-19 as it applies to us personally. The number of cases in Japan hasn't been growing quickly in recent days and there aren't any reported cases yet in Hyogo Prefecture, the area where we live. From our understanding, the virus typically doesn't pose a serious threat to people with healthy immune systems, although we are obviously concerned for those with existing health conditions that could make them more susceptible to the virus's effects. What we have most noticed is the fear that the virus is generating both in Japan and abroad. A lack of knowledge about the virus and the media's amplification of news about it may be inspiring a level of fear disproportionate to the threat it actually poses. In Himeji people are still going about their daily lives and besides the increased presence of face masks and the decreased numbers of tourists it's often easy to temporarily forget about the situation. We, of course, will exercise caution when going out and hope that the regulations that are being implemented in Japan and elsewhere help to contain the spread of disease.