A message from the Governor of Iwate about COVID-19 (Jan 8th)

A message from Governor Tasso during a meeting of
the Iwate Prefecture COVID-19 Countermeasures HQ (January 8, 2021)

 Yesterday (January 7, 2021), the national government has declared another State of Emergency for Tokyo and its neighboring prefectures (Saitama, Chiba, and Kanagawa).

 On the same day, the daily number of new cases across the country reached a total of 7,571 cases, making it the highest record we have seen so far. Approximately half of the cases were from Tokyo and the neighboring prefectures. The more the virus spreads in the Greater Tokyo area, the more it spreads to other regions; therefore, it is vital to control the spread as soon as possible in the areas declared in the State of Emergency.

 As for the coronavirus situation in Iwate, in the most recent week (as of today, Jan. 8th), we have had 1.7 new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people, and our hospital bed usage is at 18% of our prepared capacity. Therefore, our healthcare system is not in danger of collapse to reach Stage III levels in the near future.

 For this reason, while my usual requests to “implement thorough infection control measures,” “extending compassion to the patients,” and “staying calm” will not be any different from my previous message, regarding travel:

Regarding travel to areas or regions declared a State of Emergency:

• Please refrain from traveling to these areas for non-essential and non-urgent reasons (ex. going home or leisure travel) to prevent the further spread of the virus.

Regarding travel to other areas or regions:

• Unless it is for urgent and essential reasons, please make careful consideration when traveling to regions that are or have been reporting “15 or more new cases within the most recent week (per a population of 100,000)”, one of several conditions indicating the rate of infections.
• Even if you have any travel plans, please be sure to carry out thorough infection prevention measures throughout your trip.

 With another State of Emergency declared, I would like to remind all residents and visitors of Iwate to be more careful in following prevention measures.

 

Thank you very much.