Weekly Update: News on Japan & the Netherlands – Week 21, 2020

The two major areas have seen a declining trend in new infections recently, though the central government has come under fire for setting rigid testing guidelines and denying many potential COVID-19 patients access to tests.

With signs of the infections slowing, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe lifted the state of emergency in all but eight of the 47 Japanese prefectures on May 14, two weeks ahead of schedule. Restrictions are still in place in Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Hokkaido and four other prefectures where experts say risks remain. But as stores begin to reopen, people are more apt to shrug off the stay-at-home request.

The state of emergency gives local leaders the legal bases to request social distancing measures but does not impose penalties. Abe has ensured that Japan does not adopt European-style hard lockdowns that would paralyze the economy. While there are growing calls for business restarts, some worry that hasty reopenings will invite a resurgence in infections. He said he’ll have a meeting with experts this week to decide if the state of emergency can be lifted in the remaining areas.

Most restaurants and pubs still can operate, though with shorter hours, and grocery, convenience stores and public transport remain open as usual. There are few incentives to close shops.

Tokyo Gov Yuriko Koike plans to reopen businesses in three phases once the state of emergency is lifted, starting with the lowest-risk facilities like museums and libraries. In the second phase, theaters will be allowed to reopen and business hours for restaurants and bars will be extended. The final phase will apply to all but cluster-prone facilities such as nightclubs.

Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura warned people against loosening up now, “or new infections will rise back and there is a possibility we won’t able to lift the emergency by end of the month.”

Japan has so far prevented an explosive surge in infections and reduced the number of newly reported cases in recent weeks as a result of stay-at-home and business suspension requests made under the state of emergency.

Abe faces the task of keeping the downward trend in new cases intact while allowing more social and economic activities to resume at a time when the Japanese economy has already slipped into a recession.

Medical experts will check recent data on the number of newly reported infections, the availability of medical services, and the capacity to perform virus tests and trace infections.

The government is tilting toward taking a group-based approach in lifting the state of emergency by dividing the prefectures into large groups based on geographical proximity and economic linkages.

One group consists of Osaka, Kyoto and Hyogo in the Kansai region, while the other includes Tokyo, Chiba, Kanagawa and Saitama. Hokkaido does not belong to either group but has been hit by a fresh wave of infections.

Tokyo is the worst hit among the 47 prefectures with more than 5,000 infection cases but in recent days new cases have been in the single digits. Still, health experts say it is too early to lower the guard against COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the virus, and infections could surge.

But the amount of information doctors can glean from the checks is still small when compared to face-to-face consultations, and some professionals have voiced their concerns over instances in which it has been difficult for them to carry out diagnoses using the new measures.

In the event that a prescription needs to be given after an appointment, the details can be faxed to a pharmacy close to the patient to reduce the burden on the patient.

But because doctors cannot physically check patients, there’s a limit to the amount of information medical professionals can take from the appointments. There have also been cases where a patient’s camera has been of a lower quality, making it difficult to do visual checks of people’s throats and other places, and primarily the appointments take the form of medical interviews.

Precautions are also taken to ensure people aren’t pretending to be patients; thorough checks are done, with photographs taken of patients’ health insurance certification at the time an appointment is made, and some form of identification including a photograph being required at the beginning of the first meeting.

Haruo Kuroki, the head of the Japanese Telemedicine and Telecare Association’s online consultation subcommittee, told the Mainichi Shimbun, “For patients with a fever or other symptoms that mean they can’t rule out being infected with the novel coronavirus, and people who are avoiding going to hospital over fears of contracting it, this is a highly appropriate way to examine them.”

The government has set aside 53 billion yen to finance the program covering students at universities, graduate schools, junior colleges, technical schools and Japanese language schools.

“It’s most important for students not to abandon continuing and advancing their education. We’d like to quickly provide assistance to all,” education minister Koichi Hagiuda told reporters.

The government will rely on the institutions to determine which of their students should receive the assistance and will disburse the payments through the Japan Student Services Organization, an independent body that provides financial aid to students.

But some students have criticized the program, arguing it should cover more of them and tuition fees should be reduced. With only one out of 10 students covered, a student advocacy group, which has been calling on the government to provide advanced education for free, described the program as “insufficient.”

Facing diminished incomes amid the pandemic, around 20 percent of students are considering abandoning their studies, the body said, citing its survey in April. “The fundamental problem is that every student is negatively affected by the disaster but there is no attempt to financially support all students,” it said in a statement.

Precautions are also taken to ensure people aren’t pretending to be patients; thorough checks are done, with photographs taken of patients’ health insurance certification at the time an appointment is made, and some form of identification including a photograph being required at the beginning of the first meeting.

Haruo Kuroki, the head of the Japanese Telemedicine and Telecare Association’s online consultation subcommittee, told the Mainichi Shimbun, “For patients with a fever or other symptoms that mean they can’t rule out being infected with the novel coronavirus, and people who are avoiding going to hospital over fears of contracting it, this is a highly appropriate way to examine them.”

It will be the first time the trails of the 3,776-meter volcanic mountain are closed since at least 1960 when the prefecture began managing the routes, he added. The decision comes after nearby Yamanashi Prefecture said it will close the Yoshida trail, the most popular hiking path among the four. The mountain huts along the four routes will remain closed as well.

Mount Fuji, a UNESCO world cultural heritage site, welcomed about 236,000 climbers last year, according to the Mount Fuji official website.

“The number of Covid patients on the IC is falling further,” says Ernst Kuipers, chairman of the National Network Acute Care. “We see the number outside the IC falling less quickly, but expect it to decrease further.”

Street parties and other events remain prohibited.As of 1 June, more than three people may be welcomed. The 1.5 meter distance also remains valid. Until 1 June, scheduled meetings of three people or more are prohibited. Groups that do not keep to the 1.5 meter distance will be fined. Adults can be fined 390 euros and children can be fined 95 euros.

Currently, a company can receive a one-off amount of 4,000 euros in the event of a demonstrable loss of turnover, which can rise to a maximum of 20,000 euros tax-free in the next three months. The scheme only applies to SMEs with a turnover loss of 30% or more.

The amount of the new scheme, which replaces the scheme from the first package, depends on the size of the company, the amount of the fixed costs and the loss of turnover of the company. Companies wishing to use the scheme must report to the government.

The scheme whereby the UWV assumes a maximum of 90% of the wage costs of a company will be extended and expanded. The so-called NOW scheme is intended for companies that expect a loss of turnover of at least 20% over three months.

However, the wage cost scheme has been adjusted. In the new version, the fixed storage is increased from 30 to 40%. The NOW also contributes to costs other than labor costs, such as holiday pay. In short, this means that the wage cost subsidy is expanded.

Also, companies that received wage cost subsidies and subsequently laid off staff were initially fined. In the version presented on Wednesday, this termination fine no longer exists. However, there are conditions. For example, companies that receive wage cost subsidies may not pay bonuses.

Employers who apply for NOW are now also obliged to encourage employees to take up additional training and retraining. Companies that want to claim the renewed NOW must make a statement with the application regarding the retraining obligation.

“After all, any capital support is a far-reaching intervention and this would always be an extremely useful resource and could only be deployed if market solutions are no longer possible and other schemes do not offer any relief”, the ministers and state secretaries of Economic Affairs and Climate (EZK), Finance and Social Affairs and Employment (SZW) in a Letter to Parliament.

The possible state aid would not simply apply to every company in trouble and would be limited for companies that “for example due to their knowledge, innovative strength or important employment effects are crucial for the Dutch economy”. It is not known when the first results of the study are expected.

Parents should bring their children to school or daycare as much as possible on foot or by bicycle. The childcare and after-school care follows the opening hours of the education and the intention is to open them again on 8 June.

Teachers who are ill or have a cold should not be allowed to stand in front of the class. This also applies to teachers who belong to a risk group. Teachers with a partner who falls into the risk group or who are, for example, caregivers, can discuss their individual situation with their boss.

At secondary schools, both students and teachers must keep a distance of 1.5 meters. “In practice, this means that not all students can be in school at the same time,” the cabinet said. From 15 June, MBO, HBO and academic education will start with tests, exams and practical classes.

On Thursday last week, the General Association of School Leaders (AVS) already stated that in almost all schools, the transition from home education to education in the schools themselves has gone according to the protocol, and almost all schools are satisfied. This was based on a survey of more than eleven hundred primary school directors and directors in special education.

97% of the school leaders say they look back on the first days with a positive feeling. In fact, 21% say it’s going “great,” the AVS reports. “There was especially a lot of joy to see the children again. In recent months, even during the holidays, a lot of hard work has been done in education. We are proud of all the school leaders who organized this together with their team and are back in this unusual place. time “, said AVS chairman Petra van Haren.

However, some students are staying at home anyway. According to the AVS there are also concerns in some schools. “There are concerns about whether the 1.5-meter distance will succeed for adults and whether everyone will remain healthy after reopening. In special education, there are also concerns about safe student transport. Many schools are concerned about guiding these students if the entire team is already deployed to organize the daily education at school” said Van Haren.

Because of “the exceptional situation that has arisen”, the minister appeals to passengers to accept the vouchers offered by airlines. But only if that is “financially not inconvenient,” she adds.

The European Commission believes that consumers have the right to choose between a voucher or a refund. To tempt passengers to accept the voucher over a refund, such a voucher should be made more attractive, is the recommendation from the EU. This is possible, for example, with the value of a voucher, the term, the transferability and the guarantee of reimbursement. Van Nieuwenhuizen supports these recommendations.

The cabinet initially wanted to spare the aviation sector to prevent bankruptcies. “After all, nobody will benefit from this and certainly not the passenger who has not yet received a refund at the time of bankruptcy. That passenger will probably be left empty-handed,” wrote Van Nieuwenhuizen.

Prime Minister Mark Rutte said on Wednesday that he wanted to adhere to the Dutch policy of the vouchers and called on passengers to show solidarity with the airlines. “I also have a number of airline tickets in the drawer. I get a voucher for that.”