Seems the reasoning for Japan not being able to lock down has started to shift from “it doesn’t have the legal authority” to “what about essential workers/public transport!?” — again perhaps based on a misunderstanding of what’s happening in other countries?
Most everywhere round the world, these *heroic* frontline workers continue to work, and public transportation is up and running, precisely so those workers can get to where they need to go.
In NYC, subways and buses are still running. But there is a constant announcement over the loudspeakers that if you aren’t a frontline worker, you shouldn’t be out taking public transportation.
A complete, legally-enforceable shutdown is impossible in Tokyo or most any other city for that matter — that’s not what health experts are calling for. Let’s get that out of the way.
But Abe seems fixated on explaining how Tokyo/Japan *isn’t* shutting down (even tho there’s now an emergency?) rather than how — with exceptions and within legal limits — something close to a shutdown needs to happen if Japan is serious about getting the pandemic under control.
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