Hi, Joe Tomei here with another update from JET Prefectural Advisors Lily McDermott and Chase Sutherland

Dear Kumamoto,

Here are your updates:

New: 24/7 Multilingual Phone Interpreting for COVID-19 Consultations Kumamoto Prefecture has set up a new multilingual phone interpreting hotline which allows residents of the prefecture to speak to the COVID-19 Consultation Center with the help of an interpreter. The service is free and you only need to pay regular phone operator fees.

The number to call for this service is 092-687-7962. 19 languages are supported.

The hotline can advise people who suspect they may have COVID-19 (for example if they have met with a confirmed case, visited somewhere where there is a cluster, or received a notification from the COCOA app etc.), give information about which clinics can perform a test for COVID-19 if the caller develops a fever, and also give general information about the current COVID-19 situation.

Please click through to the page explaining more about this service on the homepage of the Kumamoto Support Center for Foreign Residents: http://www.kuma-koku.jp/support-center/page249.html

Kumamoto Risk Level: Level 4 maintained for another week Yesterday the decision was made to keep the Prefectural Risk Level at Level 4. In the one week period between 1 and 7 December, an additional 78 cases were confirmed in Kumamoto, of which for 30 the route of infection remains unknown.

Cases of a variety of origins are continuing to occur across many regions of the prefecture. The number of cases for which the route of infection is unknown is also high. In order to be able to see through a peaceful end to the year, the prefecture is asking the public to implement thorough measures to prevent the spread of infection especially during this period of “concentrated measures” which lasts until 18 December.

Kumamoto City has seen the occurrence of clusters at food and drink establishments with entertainment/close customer-service interactions (接待を伴う飲食店, settai wo tomonau inshokuten) as well as many cases of transmission between family members, and between friend groups of university students. Furthermore, within the jurisdiction of the Kikuchi Health Center, many cases have been found in association with dining in groups as well as infections at the workplace.

For a full list of cases updated daily in English, please check the list on the homepage of the Support Centre for Foreign Residents here: http://www.kuma-koku.jp/support-center/page156.html

Hyogo added to list of prefectures to avoid travel to As mentioned in the previous update, Kumamoto Prefecture is continuing to ask residents to avoid travel to prefectures in which the number of new cases per 100,000 population over a 1-week period is 15 or higher.

Based on the numbers for the last 1-week period, this applies to the following prefectures: Osaka, Hokkaido, Tokyo, Okinawa, Aichi and Hyogo. You can check the list on pg. 8 of the document here: https://www.pref.kumamoto.jp/uploaded/attachment/123150.pdf

Meanwhile, in the rest of Japan… The infection situation in other parts of the country is worsening significantly. Today (10 December), the number of cases in Tokyo exceeded 600 in one day for the first time since the start of the pandemic. https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20201210/k10012756231000.html?utm_int=all_side_ranking-social_001

Other highlights include Osaka exceeding 70% of hospital capacity for COVID-19 patients (https://www.tokyo-np.co.jp/article/73198). Yesterday also saw the highest number of deaths nationwide in one-day at 47 (https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20201208/k10012752941000.html).

Asahikawa, the second largest city in Hokkaido, has called in the Self-Defence Forces as medical reinforcements are badly needed following multiple large-scale clusters at hospitals in the City. Over the past month over 197 people have been infected at Yoshida Hospital in Asahikawa City. Asahikawa City is implementing measures such as requesting the public to avoid all unnecessary and non-urgent outings until 25 December. http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/13997305, https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/4542bcd68624dda96051c4912ba6cb78ba9d4058

Government lays groundwork for vaccine distribution: Residents to receive vaccine from their local government based on their registered address With vaccine distribution in Japan expected to start sometime in the first half of 2021, the Ministry of Health Labour and Welfare has announced that in general, residents will be required to receive the vaccination from the municipality in which their addresse is registered (based on their juuminhyo 住民票).

Japan has signed contracts to import vaccines from 3 companies which have succeeded at developing a vaccine based in Europe and the United States, with the aim to begin distribution at some point within the first half of next year.

A meeting of experts today considered how the vaccines should be distributed. According to what was discussed at the meeting, in general municipality governments will send a coupon in the mail directly to the homes of all residents of the municipality, in the order in which they can receive the vaccine. After receiving the coupon in the mail, residents can make a telephone reservation and then receive the vaccine at a medical facility or municipal facilities such as community centres or communty gymnasiums at no cost. Priority will be given to the elderly or those with underlying conditions as well as medical staff. https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20201210/k10012756911000.html