Another update from Lily McDermott & Chase Sutherland, the JET Program Prefectural Advisors.

===== Here are your updates regarding COVID-19:

●57 new cases over the weekend Since our previous e-mail, 57 new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in Kumamoto. This includes cases confirmed on 31 July as well as over the weekend. The total number now exceeds 200 and there have been over 100 new cases in under a 1-week period.

Cases announced include another elementary school student in Yatsushiro (Case 232), as well as an elementary school student in Tamana (Case 223) and Yamaga (Case 236), both with connections to the JMU cluster. (https://this.kiji.is/662541011361104993?c=92619697908483575)

This brings the total number of elementary school students confirmed to be infected with COVID-19 to 5. (https://this.kiji.is/662639324546991201?c=92619697908483575)

On 1 July, a bus driver in his 20s who works for Kumamoto Toshi Bus and lives in Higashi-ku Kumamoto City was confirmed to be infected. He began showing symptoms on the evening of July 27. Earlier that day, he operated the route between Sakuramachi Bus Terminal and Nagamine ES five times, and a total of 204 passengers were on board. Two days previously, he ran bus routes between Sakuramach Bus Terminal and Akitsu Shonan Kinenkan Mae, as well as Between Nagamine Danchi and Wakaba Elementary School. The total number of passengers on those routes is 51. The driver was wearing a mask and the windows were open to circulate air through the bus. https://this.kiji.is/662460164742841441?c=92619697908483575

●New cluster in Kumamoto City On Saturday, Kumamoto City announced that a cluster of cases had been discovered in connection with the girl’s bar “Neo Barbie”. As of 4pm on the day of the announcement (1st August), 3 female staff members tested positive. Two male customers are also known to have COVID-19, one of whom is a Kikuchi City who previously tested positive. The City is asking anyone who visited the bar to contact the Coronavirus Consultation Centre. (https://this.kiji.is/662195590994216033?c=92619697908483575, https://this.kiji.is/662296152851989601?c=92619697908483575)

The total number of cases associated with the previous two existing clusters are: JMU→94; Yamaga nursing home “Taiyo”→40 (as of 2 August).

●Kumamoto has the seventh highest infection rate nationwide Kumamoto is the 7th highest prefecture in the country in terms of number of cases per 100,000 people (8.98 cases). The highest are Okinawa, Tokyo, Fukuoka, Osaka, Aichi and Miyazaki, followed by Kumamoto. https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20200802/k10012546981000.html?utm_int=all_side_ranking-access_001

●Re-entry to be permitted for foreigners who left Japan before entry ban As of 5 August 2020, foreigners who hold permission to re-enter Japan (i.e., those who hold a valid status of residence in Japan) who left the country and spent time in countries or regions which the Japanese Government later designated as regions subject to entry bans, may be allowed to re-enter Japan.

However, this only applies to foreigners who left the country and visited those countries BEFORE the day that those countries were designated as countries subject to entry bans, and as a result does not mean that foreigners can expect to be able to leave the country now and be permitted to return (unless they are permanent residents, or spouses of permanent residents/Japanese nationals and have extenuating humanitarian circumstances). https://www.mofa.go.jp/ca/fna/page4e_001074.html

●List of new cases: Case 237 (August 2) - Male in his 50s, Kumamoto City - Investigation into infection route ongoing　 Cases 233, 235, 236 (August 2) - Related to the Nagasu cluster Case 232 (August 2) - Female under 10, Yatsushiro City - Close contact with cases 115, 164, 180 Cases 230, 231 (August 2) - Nagasu cluster Case 229 (August 2) - Male in his 20s, Uki City - Investigation into infection route ongoing Case 228 (August 2) - Female in her 60s, Koshi City - Close contact with case 192 Case 227 (August 2) - Female in her 60s, Ozu - Investigation into infection route ongoing Cases 225, 226 (August 2) - Yamaga City nursing home cluster Case 224 (August 2) - Male in his 70s, Yamaga City - Close contact with case 181 Cases 218-223 (August 2) - Nagasu cluster Case 217 (August 1) - Female in her 80s, Kumamoto City - Close contact with case 188 Case 216 (August 1) - Male in his 20s, Kumamoto City - Employee at a restaurant, close contact with the 100th case Case 215 (August 1) - Male in his 20s, Kumamoto City - Company employee, dined out in the city on July 25) Cases 2014-214 (August 1) - Nagasu cluster Case 203 (August 1) - Male in his 30s, Tamana city - Company employee, investigation into infection route ongoing Case 202 (August 1) - Female in her 50s, Kumamoto City - Company employee, investigation into infection route ongoing Case 201 (August 1) - Male in his 20s, Kumamoto City - Bus driver, unknown infection route Case 200 (August 1) - Nagasu cluster Cases 195-199 (August 1) - Yamaga City nursing home cluster Case 194 (August 1) - Male in his 60s, Kikuchi City - Related to the 111th case and the nursing home cluster Case 193 (August 1) - Female in her 40s, Arao - Close contact with medical staff and a confirmed case in Fukuoka Case 192 (August 1) - Male in his 40s, Koshi City - Related to the 85th and 125th cases Case 191 (July 31) - Male in his 30s, Kumamoto City - Dined out at a restaurant Case 190 (July 31) - Female in her 20s, Kumamoto City - Investigation into infection route ongoing Case 189 (July 31) - Male in his 20s, Kumamoto City - Travelled to Fukuoka from July 23-26 Case 188 (July 31) - Male in his 80s, Kumamoto City - Investigation into infection route ongoing Cases 182-187 (July 31) - Nagasu cluster Case 181 (July 31) - Male in his 70s, Yamaga City - Close contact with the 112th case Case 180 (July 31) - Male in his teens, Yatsushiro City - Elementary school student, close contact with the 115th and 164th cases Case 179 (July 31) - Female in her 30s, Arao City - Spouse of the 149th case Case 178 (July 31) - Female in her 30s, Arao City - Child of the 128th case Case 177 (July 31) - Nagasu cluster Case 176 (July 31) - Female in her 20s, Kumamoto City - Travelled to Tokyo July 24-26 Case 175 (July 31) - Male in his 20s, Koshi City - Came to Kumamoto on a business trip from Hyogo prefecture on July 21 Case 174 (July 31) - Male in his 60s, Tamana City - Family member of the 87th case Case 173 (July 31) - Male in his 20s, Kumamoto City - Investigation into infection route ongoing Case 172 (July 31) - Female in her 60s, Kumamoto City - Close contact with 157th case Case 171 (July 31) - Female in her 20s, Kumamoto City - Close contact with 125th case Case 170 (July 31) - Female in her 60s, Kumamoto City