The USA issues Covid-19 Level 4 warning not to travel to Japan: Olympics 2 months away
Sawako Utsumi and Kanako Mita
Modern Tokyo Times
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga of Japan and Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike remain determined to hold the Olympics. However, with increasing deaths from coronavirus (Covid-19) and the slow vaccination program in Japan, it seems that the United States is very worried.
Thus, the United States raised the coronavirus warning to Level 4 for American travelers. In other words, the administration of President Joe Biden is requesting Americans to avoid Japan.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC), Suga, and Koike understand that the majority of people in Japan want the Olympics to be canceled or postponed. Even warnings by the medical profession have been ignored out of hand. Therefore, with the United States warning people not to visit Japan, it is another blow to the IOC, Suga, and Koike.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States is warning strongly to avoid visiting Japan. This CDC said, “even fully vaccinated travelers may be at risk for getting and spreading COVID-19 variants” in Japan. Similarly, the fear is that American nationals may bring different variants back to America after visiting Japan.
Level 4 is the highest coronavirus warning and it highlights the current state of affairs in Japan. Hence, the increase from Level 3 to Level 4 by the United States is another blow to the Suga administration.
The Hill reports, “News of the U.S. travel advisory comes as Japan’s government is under growing pressure at home to cancel the games; last week, a group of roughly 6,000 doctors called on the government to do so, while public opinion polls have indicated strong resistance to the idea of the Games going forward as planned.”
Lee Jay Walker says, “Approximately 80 percent of the 12,500 coronavirus deaths in Japan have come in the last six months. Thus with various variants also causing alarm in Japan – and a lack of transparency – many in the international community are confused by the coronavirus crisis in this county. Therefore, the slow vaccination program sums up the abject failure of the Suga administration.”
Despite this, the IOC, Suga, and Koike remain adamant that the Olympics will go ahead. However, with business CEO’s at Softbank and Rakuten – and others – also being opposed to holding the Olympics, the tide is turning against the IOC, Suga, and Koike.
Yet will they listen? Or will they continue to close their eyes to 3.4 million international coronavirus deaths, the ongoing State of Emergency in Japan, new deadly coronavirus variants, and the utter selfishness of vaccinating healthy athletes over vulnerable groups who face death?
https://stopcovid19.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/en/ – Tokyo Metropolitan Government website for updates about the coronavirus crisis in Tokyo.
https://toyokeizai.net/sp/visual/tko/covid19/en.html – Japan and Tokyo Covid-19 news with more analysis
https://covid19japan.com/ – Japan regional coronavirus statistics
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/ World coronavirus statistics
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