Japan to ease COVID-19 border controls on travelers from China

Here we go. Back to living the way normal human beings live. The way we were living pre-2020.

Too early to consider this.

The CCP still have not got control of this pandemic - and are hardly transparent about the situation. Keep up the mandatory testing of all travellers from China.

Here comes the ninth wave

But, but, but....They were crying out that when china opened that new variants would pop up and we were doomed. So much for that eh! Not a new variant in sight.

And, the Chinese didn't use mRNA vaccines eitherm And guess where the new variants continue to come from?

Love it. Japan is finally putting on its big boy pants and accepting the reality that you cannot control Covid. Every measure the Japanese government implemented has been a failure. It's way past time to undo all of them, not arbitrarily add new ones. Hopefully before too long, Japan ditches negative PCR/3x vaccinated proof on arrival - at least for citizens and residents.

Whether we like China or not is a different story. Yeh, they are an authoritarian nightmare. But no country has been transparent about Covid from the beginning; that includes the US, India, ect.

Every measure the Japanese government implemented has been a failure

Well, that's inaccurate for a start. Japan's mask and vaccine programs have been widely embraced and have saved the population from the worst of it.

Fact.

They were crying out that when china opened that new variants would pop up and we were doomed. So much for that eh! Not a new variant in sight.

And that was the entire point of the exercise. Of course the rate of positive arrivals is minimal, that is by design.

Think about it, why would anyone who tested positive back in China even continue to board the flight? If you test positive upon arrival in Japan you are royally screwed. Not only do you have nowhere to go and have to quarantine for probably the remainder of your stay. You will also have trouble coming up with a negative test to re-enter China.

The point was never to check and see how many would arrive positive, it was to deter you from coming if you are positive.

It's all about the money as we all know.

No thanks!

The point was never to check and see how many would arrive positive, it was to deter you from coming if you are positive.

But it's all over Japan, even though they're still masked up. So it's just a politically motivated xenophobic move with no scientific basis. I hope the Chinese public realse they have been played and just refuse to visit, just like what happened in Australia. You reap what you sow.

This is the correct one:

The point was never to check and see how many would arrive positive, it was to deter you from coming if you are positive.

But it's all over Japan, even though they're still masked up. So it's just a politically motivated xenophobic move with no scientific basis. I hope the Chinese public realse they have been played and just refuse to visit, just like what happened in Australia. You reap what you sow.

But it's all over Japan

Sure. And that's why everyone is masked up and trying to keep numbers down. Seriously, you're confusing cause and effect.

So it's just a politically motivated xenophobic move with no scientific basis.

Of course it's political, as is every move to protect one's own population and infrastructure. What "scientific basis" do you need for the fact that a foreign tourist can not only be asymptomatically positive and infect others, but also become symptomatic (i.e., sick), requiring medical treatment or even hospitalisation? Why do you hold it against Japan to implement these measures at a time when it was dealing with the biggest outbreak itself?

You reap what you sow.

What's the point of revenge phantasies?

Please, no more Chinese hordes…please!

Please no!

What "scientific basis" do you need for the fact that a foreign tourist can not only be asymptomatically positive and infect others, but also become symptomatic (i.e., sick), requiring medical treatment or even hospitalisation?

So how many tourists from other countries have got sick and required medical treatment since Japan "opened" up eh? I bet it is not even a single person, since if there were even one, it would be all over the news here ad nauseum.

One rule for this country, and one for that, aye; the "that" being China in in this case. Public enemy no. 1, if you like. Until they refuse to come of course.

Don't do this.

So how many tourists from other countries have got sick and required medical treatment since Japan "opened" up eh? I bet it is not even a single person

Oof, a more cynical man than me would take you up on that bet.

Lacking any official numbers (which the J'Gov is very smart not to release) an argument can be made that the number may be similar to Japan's own domestic population. Currently, according to the MHLW, roughly one in 260 people requires in-patient care, at home or in a hospital.

That's the current situation people seem all to willing to ignore. One in 260 people. Why would you assume that same ratio would magically not apply to visitors?

Now back when Japan introduced the harsher restrictions on travelers from China, Japan was at the peak of the wave itself, and it was one in 175. According to some news, about half of the travelers from China at the time stepped off the plane infected. You can try to frame it as xenophobia as much as you like, but the reality is that the measures were not only protecting Japan but also the travelers themselves.

And now that the situation apparantly has changed, it is correct to reevaluate the measures. Why is it a bad thing to react to a changing situation, one way or the other?

In other words tourism dollars are low!

the rate of arrivals testing positive for the virus dropping recently.

That's the current situation people seem all to willing to ignore. One in 260 people.

*That would be 1-260 who get Covid.* Now check their ages. Then check the ages of tourists. You will find they are probably 50 years younger on average (at least!).

Don't do this.

What if your livelihood depends on tourism?

What if your livelihood depends on tourism?

But these tour groups from China are being brought to places that are actually free - like Tokyo Metropolitan Government Bldg. instead of Skytree. Basically, they really don't spend that much money.

That would be 1-260 who get Covid.

Nope, sorry, it's not a relative number. For today (2/9), the MHLW states 481,338 people as "receiving care in a hospital, dedicated facility, or at home". That's one in 260 Japanese, no matter how you slice it.

Now check their ages.

The number is not broken down by age by the MHLW. Generally speaking though, in-patient age is quite a bit lower than what the average age of deaths you are probably thinking of. For obvious, and obviously sad, reasons.

But these tour groups from China are being brought to places that are actually free - like Tokyo Metropolitan Government Bldg. instead of Skytree. Basically, they really don't spend that much money.

This is completely wrong. They stay in hotels, they ride buses, they take tours, they buy lots of stuff, they hire people like me to guide them. They paid for a lot of my house build in 2016.

The idea that they get on a bus at the airport and don't spend money until they leave is just false. Ask anyone in the tourist business, their money is incredibly important to a lot of people from the people who own the airports to the old ladies who clean their rooms.

But I will admit that they are quite annoying and uncultured. I have to tell them that throwing their pet bottles into the bushes or spitting in the station is not the correct way of doing things.

Very good!!..

Welcome Chinese people!!..

Japan needs to drop all these silly measures. The rest of the world is getting on with life while Japan remains masked up and still following these silly rules.

Yahoo, the Chinese are back. Time to celebrate with our Chinese friends and neighbours by showing your faces.