A message from the Governor of Iwate about COVID-19 (May 15th)

-A message given by Governor Tasso during the 14th meeting of the Iwate Prefecture COVID-19 Countermeasures HQ (May 15th)-

In order to prevent the spread of infection during Golden Week, I asked that people refrain from traveling between prefectures, and with the great cooperation of residents of Iwate and of those outside the prefecture, we were able to maintain Iwate’s status as a “non-infected area”. For this, I offer you all my sincerest thanks.

Yesterday, the national government rescinded the state of emergency measures for 39 prefectures, special alert prefectures and Iwate Prefecture among them.

From today, I would like to ask the residents of Iwate, as well as those of other prefectures, to continue with the following measures to prevent the spread of infection.

• Please refrain from non-urgent and unnecessary outings, traveling home, and travel to special alert prefectures or prefectures at risk of spreading infection.
• Anyone heading to or returning to Iwate from a special alert prefecture or prefectures at risk of spreading infection, while the state of emergency is in place, please exercise extreme caution for the 2 weeks following your arrival.
• There may be facilities which have not followed the guidelines drawn up by businesses and related organizations based on the recommendations offered by the national government’s expert panel. These sorts of facilities are similar to those where cluster outbreaks have occurred until now, so please avoid them as well as areas where the “three C’s” are unavoidable.
• We would like to ask all facilities, such as stores, to implement thorough measures to prevent infections. For example; limiting the number of customers and overseeing them, providing hand washing spaces/disinfectants, and providing indoor ventilation.
• We would like to ask workplaces to take measures to reduce the risk of infection such as implementing a work-from-home (telework) system to reduce contact between people.
• Please take measures to prevent the spread of infection in daily life and socio-economic activities, such as “wearing a mask” and “maintaining social distances” and other examples in accordance with our “new social behaviors”.

Our prefecture may have been excluded from the emergency measures; however our circumstances will not be as they were before the novel coronavirus outbreak. As shown by the “new social behavior”, we will take thorough measures against the spread of infection in our daily lives, work, and places of learning, and enter a new stage of life where we can find a balance between preventing the spread of infection, and maintaining our social economy.

Specific measures will need to be devised according to each situation, but the prefecture, together with the municipalities and related organizations will be supporting daily lives, workplaces, and places of learning, ensuring that our efforts bear fruit.

We ask that you continue to follow basic preventative measures such as avoiding the “three C’s”, keeping up proper hand washing and maintaining social distancing. We will find the balance between preventing the spread of infection, and maintaining our social economy.

• Information on the Coronavirus (COVID-19) – Iwate Prefecture
• Consultation Hotlines/Centers in Iwate for Possible COVID-19 Cases