A message from the Governor of Iwate about COVID-19 (Jan 14th)

A message from Governor Tasso during a meeting of
the Iwate Prefecture COVID-19 Countermeasures HQ (January 14, 2021)

 On Jan. 7, the national government declared a state of emergency covering Tokyo, Saitama, Chiba, and Kanagawa; followed by Tochigi, Gifu, Aichi, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyogo, and Fukuoka prefectures in a new statement made yesterday (Jan. 13).

 Additionally, the number of prefectures 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, have been increasing, with a total of 27 prefectures as of Jan. 13.

  This includes our neighbor Miyagi Prefecture, but there are not many patients in regions that border Iwate Prefecture.

  Once again, I ask that you please refrain from traveling to areas under the state of emergency for non-essential and non-urgent reasons (ex. going home or leisure travel) to prevent the further spread of the virus.

  I also ask that you exercise special consideration in traveling to and from areas with a large spread of infections.

 For periodical updates of the coronavirus situation in Japan, please visit the official prefectural website. Also, please be sure to check the coronavirus situation of the region you intend to visit if you will need to travel between prefectures.

 As for Iwate, in the most recent week (as of Jan. 14), we have had 3.6 new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people, and our hospital bed usage is at 22% of our prepared capacity. Therefore, our healthcare system is not in danger to reach Stage III levels yet.

 This is due to many of our cases confirmed in Iwate were traceable to be caused by travelling between regions with widespread infections.

 To prevent infections spreading at your home or your workplace, if you are feeling ill with symptoms like a high fever or a cough, please refrain from leaving your home and consult with either your primary care/family doctor or the COVID-19 Consultation Center to take the PCR test as soon as possible.