Weekly Update: News on Japan & the Netherlands – Week 17, 2020

His government was also seen reluctant to issue requests for non-essential business closures due to fears over the economic impact. Only Tokyo and several other prefectures have made business closure requests, which carry no penalties.

Representatives from both Japan and Taiwan were present on the tarmac at Narita airport as they watched the masks being carried out of an aircraft.

Taiwan at one point lacked masks but has since achieved a daily production of 15 million masks and succeeded in meeting domestic demand after its government asked the private sector to increase mask production.

Taiwan has also donated 10 million face masks to the United States, European nations and diplomatic allies earlier this month. Taiwan had six deaths and 420 infected as of last Sunday.

While the no-eat-in rule doesn’t apply to all of the roughly 2,900 branches the chain has in Japan, it does affect the majority of them. Eat-in service is to be suspended at the branches through at least 6 May, which means customers cannot dine at the restaurants for the official duration of Japan’s Golden Week spring holiday.

Meanwhile, the Uber Eats food delivery service saw in March a 20% increase in the number of restaurant contracts in Japan from a month earlier, its operator said on Tuesday 21 April.

As of the end of March, restaurants using Uber Eats topped 20,000, which was about 17,000 a month earlier, the Japanese arm of U.S. ride-hailing company Uber Technologies Inc. said.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga on Tuesday disputed the IOC’s statement, saying Abe has not agreed that Japan will foot any additional costs. “There is no such agreement,” he told reporters during his daily briefing.

Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike also commented: “We are looking into how the Japanese government, Tokyo Metropolitan Government and organizers will handle the added cost.”

As a result of the confusion regarding the costs, Tokyo spokesman Masa Takaya said the organizing committee asked the Switzerland-based International Olympic Committee to remove the comment mentioning Abe agreed to cover the costs.

After Tokyo’s complaint, the IOC removed Abe’s name and any reference to Japan’s financial obligation. The edited version reads: “The Japanese government has reiterated that it stands ready to fulfill its responsibility for hosting successful games.”

Without using Abe’s name, IOC President Thomas Bach said almost exactly the same thing 10 days ago in an interview with the German newspaper Die Welt on Sunday. He said Japan would “continue to cover the costs it would have done” under the agreement signed in 2013.

Abe’s spokesman, Yoshihide Suga, also challenged the IOC and said Tuesday there “is no such agreement related to additional cost stemming from the postponement.”

Despite the conflict, there is not much debate about who will pay; it’s the Japanese side, but it’s also a sensitive subject, particularly for Abe during an economic downturn brought on by the spreading virus.

One industry that was completely wiped off the map yesterday up to September is the events industry (no Pinkpop, Lowlands, Gay Pride, Nijmegen Four Days Marches, and so on). Willem Westermann of VVEM (Association of Event Makers) is ‘not surprised, but very disappointed’. “It is a huge blow. We also hope for the support of the government, because it is clear that we are at the back when society is restarted. ”

Due to a direct threat to 48,000 jobs and an estimated loss of turnover of 3.5 billion euros, the question is whether the entrepreneurs can make it to 2021 to organize festivals and concerts again, the Association warns.

Among the businesses that hoped for relaxation of the rules are also the catering industry, gyms and hairdressers. According to KHN (Royal Dutch Hotel and Catering Association), there is a concrete protocol with the Ministry of Economic Affairs, with which catering entrepreneurs can still manage in the 1.5 meter economy.

“We are waiting for an answer and will continue to prepare very hard for the day when the measures will be relaxed.”

Hairdressers also thought of ways to continue business, using plexiglass walls, gloves and face masks. They think it is strange that for example dentists can operate using similar methods, and wonder if the hairdressers do not have the government’s trust they can do the same.

There were also rumors that zoos and museums could open again under strict conditions. Unfortunately this does not seem to be the case yet. “All we can do is send a signal that we are ready,” says Lisette de Ruigh of the Dutch Association of Zoos.

To make sure that there is enough room in hospitals for regular care, the policy of spreading coronavirus patients nationwide will continue, officials say. In addition, intensive care units are still operating at 180% of capacity and that too has to be taken into account. ‘The interests of other patients who need care, the carers who want to help them and the coronavirus care that is ongoing, will be in direct competition,’ one doctor told the Volkskrant. The decision to re-start other forms of care will ‘not make things easier,’ he said.

Since Thursday, the Museum Association has been offering cardholders the opportunity to request a refund or to convert the balance on the museum card into a donation to the museums. 93% of the more than 11,000 cardholders who responded until Monday opted for a donation, a spokesperson for the Dutch Museum Association said. The other 7% asked for their money back.”We are very happy with the large number of donations,” said the spokesperson. “It shows that people have a warm heart for museums in times of crisis.” In the near future, the Museum Association will launch an online campaign to draw more attention to the donation option.