2020-05-15 13:35 JST 2020 ↗ View original post on Facebook For a link to the original post on Facebook, open this page on a computer. Reactions: 21 · Comments: 0 · Shares: 2 ← 2020-05-14 20:03 JST 2020-05-15 14:04 JST → Around this time … 2020-05-16 12:45 JSTGood morning friends!Don't throw away!This is the documents to get 100000yen in Kumamoto city versionーAtsuko(๑˃ᴗ˂)و♡ 2020-05-15 21:31 JSTHi friends.Sharing beautiful Aso, especially ミヤマキリシマ, Miyamakirishima, bloom season in 仙酔峡Sensuikyo.I shared the beautiful view not to go and gather many tourists there, just share to enjoy them at your house.The isolation days were so board and tired. So, we should keep this peaceful level by our own efforts, not by the emergency declaration.ーAtsuko(*Ü*) 2020-05-15 21:02 JSTJoe Tomei here. This is an English translation of the Japanese information located at https://note.stopcovid19.jp/n/n46f8429a2348What changes / does not change with the extension of the State of Emergency (5 May updated)We are doing this in order to pass on the information that is coming out in Japanese. While the translations are done to the best of our ability, please be aware that we take no responsibility for any issues that may arise based on actions taken on account of these translations. We are doing this in English, but would welcome help not only for that, but also for translations in other languages. Contact me off list if you can help.https://docs.google.com/document/d/1STegef47XdHw0wM_8fyrgiyRndgcEY3UeG2vMIfLTK0/edit?usp=sharingWhat changes / does not change with the extension of the State of Emergency (5 May updated) 2020-05-15 18:47 JSTJoe Tomei here with another update from the JET prefectural advisors, Bilal Khan & Lily McDermott. As always, we thank them for sharing these with us.=====Yesterday, the national government decided to lift the state of emergency for 39 prefectures, including Kumamoto. A state of emergency remains in place for Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama, Chiba, Osaka, Kyoto, Hyogo and Hokkaido. The government will revisit the question of whether it is possible to lift the state of emergency for any of the remaining prefectures on 21 May next week.https://corona.go.jp/news/pdf/kinkyujitaisengen_gaiyou0514.pdfhttps://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20200514/k10012430241000.htmlWhat this means for KumamotoIn his address to the people of Kumamoto (following the partial lifting of the state of emergency last night), Governor Kabashima announced the following: The prefecture's request to refrain from unnecessary and non-urgent outings was lifted earlier this week. However, although the number of new confirmed infections is decreasing, there are still areas of the country which remain under a state of emergency, and the movement of people may result in the spread of infection. Even after the lifting of the state of emergency, the prefecture is continuing to request that people:① Avoid unnecessary travel② Avoid visiting/returning to Kumamoto (to those who live/work in other prefectures)③ Avoid moving across prefectural lines, and④ Avoid going to places in which the 3 Cs are presenthttps://www.pref.kumamoto.jp/kiji_33007.htmlEven though the state of emergency has also been lifted for Fukuoka (meaning that no part of Kyushu is under a state of emergency at this time), the existing agreement between the governors in the Kyushu region is still in place, and residents are asked not to travel between different prefectures in Kyushu until at least the end of this month (31 May).https://www.pref.kumamoto.jp/common/UploadFileOutput.ashx?c_id=3&id=32686&sub_id=5&flid=233423Strengthening Kumamoto's health care system in preparation for a potential second wave of infectionsIn his address last night, the Governor raised the following points about Kumamoto's response and preparedness:Kumamoto is working hard to both enhance testing capacity and expand the provision of health care.In terms of per capita PCR testing rate, Kumamoto Prefecture ranks 4th highest of all 47 prefectures in Japan, and there is enough capacity to ensure that everyone can be tested promptly whenever a doctor determines it is necessary. Kumamoto has from the beginning implemented testing standards different to the nationwide standards, resulting in the early detection of more cases. For instance, the national testing guidelines for people who may have been involved in a cluster are: close contact with a confirmed infected individual within 14 days and having symptoms. However in Kumamoto, since 11 March, if you have any connection at all with a cluster, you can be tested even if you lack symptoms or more that 15 days have passed. https://www.pref.kumamoto.jp/common/UploadFileOutput.ashx?c_id=3&id=33007&sub_id=1&flid=233954A total of 312 specialised hospital beds have now been secured for infected patients. For mildly ill patients, agreements have been made with 10 hotels/accommodation facilities, totalling 867 rooms. This is the largest number of secured rooms nationwide (outside of special alert prefectures). https://www.pref.kumamoto.jp/common/UploadFileOutput.ashx?c_id=3&id=33007&sub_id=1&flid=233953The prefecture is currently studying the establishment of a specialised testing centre, and prefab testing facilities with drive-through capacity have already been implemented at regional health centres throughout Kumamoto. (Note: Kumamoto City's specialised PCR test centre with drive-through services, capable of conducting 80 tests per day on referred outpatients without having to go through a local health center, will be opened by the end of June. https://this.kiji.is/633846618248823905)Osaka Prefecture established its own independent numerical criteria regrading when to withdraw business closure requests based on the positive-test case rate, number of cases for which the route of infection is unknown, and rate of hospital bed usage. Kumamoto's current situation clears all three of these categories.https://www.pref.kumamoto.jp/kiji_33007.htmlIndustry guidelines for preventing the spread of infectionAs part of adopting the "new lifestyle", every industry in Japan is being asked to co-operate in taking stronger measures to prevent the spread of infection. A full compilation of all of the various operation guidelines created by different industry groups is available on the official government COVID-19 website. You can check out the guidelines for all types of businesses such as cinemas, gynmasiums, museums, driving schools, restaurants, waste management, media, hospitality, food, finance, manufacturing, transport (divided by industry type and regulating ministry) here: https://corona.go.jp/prevention/pdf/guideline_20200514.pdfKumamoto City releases detailed annotated translation for Special Fixed Benefits application formYou can see information about the application for Kumamoto City here: https://www.city.kumamoto.jp/corona/hpkiji/pub/detail.aspx?c_id=5&type=top&id=28055The translated form here is here: https://www.city.kumamoto.jp/common/UploadFileDsp.aspx?c_id=5&id=28055&sub_id=4&flid=205102*Please note that the application form will vary by municipality. 2020-05-15 14:04 JSTJoe Tomei here, I've received a request to post the information below. We have, from time to time, accepted these requests, but I'd like to know how readers feel about them. I'll be trying to make a poll in a few days about this. Stay tuned!=====Dear Kumamoto International Members,I ask you to take a few minutes to read this post. My good friend and pastor, Norman Smith, will be running 100 miles (160km) on Friday and Saturday, May 22nd and 23rd, respectively. He is running to raise money for Siloam Home for Orphans and Widows in SE India. The Siloam Home for Orphans and Widows has fallen on hard times the last few years as the number of supporting churches has dropped, and inconsistent support has lead them to take out loans for necessities several times.Norman volunteered to lead the charge for a special fundraiser to wipe out the debt and set the stage to put a better plan in place for the orphanage’s support going forward. His goal is $20,000 by the end of May 2020. He plans to run across Kyushu from the Kumamoto coast over the mountains 100 miles away to the Oita coast. He has set up a site to collect pledges and is suggesting $1 per mile. However, larger donations are more than welcome.For Norman, this is an opportunity to encourage someone else, help people in need, meet new people and grow spiritually along the way. We grow through adversity, and he expects that those 100 miles will provide plenty of that! He is excited to see how God draws the church family together, meets needs and glorifies God.Though I will not be running, I am part of the crew to support him during the run. My shift is from 10pm on Friday, May 22nd to 8am on Saturday, May 23rd.Please consider donating to help the cause. I have included a few links below. If you have any questions, please contact me directly.Explanation of Run This is an in-depth explanation of why Norman is running.https://www.abwe.org/blog/running-siloam…Facebook Page: KO100 (Kumamoto Oita 100 Miles) This page documents Norman’s training since October 2019.https://www.facebook.com/ko100japan/Snowball Donation pagehttps://siloam-home-for-orphans-and-widows.snwbll.com/giving-portal?fbclid=IwAR0VZ9u6mXlZn0GeW4--I654lex6HxP9PGKJ3lUltpMyIC1ozRqYQ_F-FRY(Donation) ABWE Giving Portal – Siloam Home for Orphans and Widowshttps://www.abwe.org/work/missionaries-and-projects?s=Siloam 2020-05-15 13:35 JSTPost (this post) 2020-05-14 20:03 JSTJoe Tomei here. A bit of a different piece, perhaps people have been hearing about COVID causing Kawasaki syndrome (though most of the stories now list it as a mysterious inflammatory ailment that is similar to Kawasaki syndrome or have given it the name pediatric inflammatory multisystem syndrome (PIMS)) As my daughter had Kawasaki syndrome about 18 years ago, I thought that I would relate our experience, not only so parents can keep on the lookout, but also because even in the absence of COVID, you probably want to know about it.So, we were going to the states to take my oldest daughter to see my parents. We agreed to meet in LA and go to Disneyland. Because of timing, we got hotel near the airport with my folks and then I would drive a rental car to Anaheim Sunday morning.Getting together was magical and it looked like everything was going well and we went to bed with dreams of Mickey and Snow White. But when we woke up, my daughter said that her neck hurt and my mom, who was a nurse, noted that her lymph nodes were swollen (symptom 1), so we went to an emergency room near the airport. It was packed, with people who didn’t have insurance but couldn’t afford to take a day off. She was running a fever (symptom 2) and we filled out forms etc. Unfortunately, we had a long wait, so long that she became dehydrated and they had to try multiple times before we realized she was dehydrated. Her lymph nodes were getting worse, and so they recommended we take her by ambulance to a hospital with a pediatric department and an ICU.Her condition worsened, they would administer aspirin to reduce her fever, which would climb back up and so they put her into the ICU. My cousin worked at the hospital, so we were able to arrange a place for my parents to stay and we waited. My daughter stabilized, though began having swelling (symptom 3), though I don’t think the doctors picked up on it as much as we did (and we were even shocked when we say pictures, not realizing how different she looked). They said that she was stable, they didn’t know what to do, and we didn’t either. So we went to our hotel by Disneyland and settled in. After a few days, her temp went thru the roof and we were back in the hospital, but fortunately, a 4th symptom appeared, the ‘strawberry’ tongue. Kawasaki syndrome does not have a test, and can only be clinically diagnosed by the appearance of symptoms (other symptoms are cracking of the lips, rash on the trunk, red eyes (conjunctival injection)) It is especially difficult to diagnose in infants and if patients exhibit 3 of the criteria with a fever, treatment is often recommended.It’s called a syndrome rather than a disease because no one knows what causes it. I have not kept up with the research, but there is a very strong genetic component, with Japanese and Korean children falling ill much more often, which is one reason why the US doctors did not pick it up quickly. The treatment is intraveneous immune globulin (IVIG), the collected antibodies from blood plasma, which can quickly deal with it.The primary danger of Kawasaki syndrome is the risk of acquired heart disease, so it is important to treat the condition quickly. This parallels with discussions about how COVID damages a number of organs, leaving the patient breathless even after recovery.I think it is particularly important for this group because if are in a mixed marriage and this strikes overseas, because of the genetic component, overseas doctors will not be familiar with it. Anyway, that’s a short tale about our family’s experience with Kawasaki syndrome that I pass on to help folks make sense of some of the reporting about this in relation to COVID and to give parents with mixed kids a warning. 2020-05-14 17:11 JSTJoe Tomei here. I've gotten a few off list messages asking about William and I just spoke to William's wife, and I'm really happy to say that after a check, William _did not_ have COVID. I'm sure everyone on Kumamoto-i joins me in wishing him a speedy recovery. 2020-05-14 08:09 JSTThis is Masaki Koreishi.I am sorry that this is a late notice but if you are interested in Japanese art and have free time today or tomorrow, Kumamoto Prefectural Museum of Art (not the one in front of Tsuruya but the one near the Castle) currently has a special exhibition titled "Modern Art Nippon!". The most famous among the exhibits is "Portrait of Reiko" drawn by Ryusei Kishida. But other paintings are good as well.It is so pity that this special exhibit was originally scheduled to start from March 20 but due to the COVID-19 outbreak, we only have the shortened term from May 7 to May 15 (this is actually an extended term). So today and tomorrow are the only days left.The opening hours is 9:30 till 18:15 (last entry: 17:45) (extended by one hour from the usual hours due to the number of visitors). (Note that they may sometimes limit the number of people that go in to avoid the 3Cs (crowded places, closed spaces, close-contact settings).English / 熊本県立美術館 2020-05-13 15:57 JSTJoe Tomei here with another update from our intrepid JET Prefectural Advisors, Bilal Khan & Lily McDermott=====Hello Kumamoto,Here are the updates for today:End of request to avoid unnecessary and non-urgent outings Kumamoto Prefecture has lowered its classification from "an area in which infections are increasing" (感染拡大地域, kansen kakudai chiiki) to "an area in which infections have been confirmed" (感染確認地域, kansen kakunin chiiki). As of the governor's press conference yesterday (12 May), the prefecture is no longer requesting residents to avoid all unnecessary and non-urgent outings. However, residents are still being asked to avoid the 3 Cs and to continue avoid moving across prefectural boundaries for the time being.https://this.kiji.is/632855771807056993?c=92619697908483575National expert advisory committee tomorrow, government considering partial end to state of emergencyThe next meeting of the government's coronavirus response expert committee is scheduled for tomorrow. The advisory committee is expected to provide advice to the government on whether to lift the state of emergency early, as well as provide guidelines about what conditions would need to be met for the state of emergency to be lifted along with the conditions which would prompt the re-declaration of a state of emergency.https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20200513/k10012427911000.html?utm_int=nsearch_contents_search-items_002 The national government is currently considering lifting the state of emergency for all of the 34 prefectures which have a "limited number of new cases" (which includes Kumamoto). The government is also considering lifting the state of emergency for some of the prefectures which are currently classified as "special alert" prefectures (特定警戒都道府県, tokutei keikai todо̄fuken) but nevertheless have recently had few confirmed instances of new infections, such as Ibaraki, Gifu, Fukuoka and Aichi prefectures. Even with a partial lifting, Tokyo, Osaka, Hyogo and Hokkaido are expected to remain under the state of emergency. The national government is expected to make this decision tomorrow after the meeting of the government's expert committee. https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20200513/k10012427921000.html?utm_int=news_contents_news-main_004Prefectural BOE announces intention to re-open schools as early as 18 MayAssuming the state of emergency is lifted for Kumamoto Prefecture (the national government will make this decision tomorrow, 14 May), the Prefectural BOE may partially re-open as soon as 18 May. If the state of emergency is lifted, schools will return to their normal schedules on 1 June. https://this.kiji.is/632837422253294689?c=92619697908483575Schedule for each municipality to send out Special Fixed Benefits application formsMany municipalities, including Kumamoto City, have begun sending out application forms for the 100,000 yen Special Fixed Benefit. The Kumamoto Support Center for Foreign Residents released a chart which includes the planned postal date, dates for the opening of online applications, and the application period (deadline to apply for benefit), as well as the estimated time to receive the benefit. Please confirm your municipality's timeline here: http://www.kuma-koku.jp/common/UploadFileOutput.ashx?c_id=3&id=156&sub_id=27&flid=474 Health ministry approves antigen testThe Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare has approved the use of antigen test kits. The test kits return results in as little as 30 minutes, but have lower sensitivity. As result, positive antigen test results will be treated as confirmed cases, while people who test negative with an antigen test will have to undergo a follow-up PCR test to confirm the negative result.Read more: English - https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200513_05/Japanese - https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20200513/k10012427581000.html?utm_int=nsearch_contents_search-items_001＜速報＞熊本県が外出自粛の要請解除 新規感染者の減少で ｜ 熊本日日新聞 2020-05-12 21:39 JSTHi friends.Tomorrow night, on 13th Wednesday night, from 7pm to 9:30pm at RKK.There is a TV program'' 出川哲朗の充電させてもらえませんか'' Degawa Tetsurou is a famous TV comedian. He and his friends went across Kumamoto prefecture, 120km from Aso to Omuta city by electric bike. He should have asked to charge battery for local people and interact with them.He is so friendly that many Japanese accept and invite him.My friend met the TV clue at Arao city on that time.We can't travel and watch, we can't interact many local people now. But if you watch it, you might feel you also travel with him.Don't miss it !!ーAtsuko(｡•̀ᴗ-)و ̑̑✧出川哲朗の充電させてもらえませんか? - Gガイド.テレビ番組表
