Here are the latest updates from Japan and beyond on the coronavirus outbreak:
File photo taken Sept. 19, 2020, shows people watching a baseball game at Yokohama Stadium near Tokyo. Japan will test measures for preventing the spread of the coronavirus at events with large numbers of spectators in a trial to be held in late October at the stadium with its stands filled to near capacity. (Kyodo)
As of 11 a.m., Sunday, Oct. 18 (Japan time)
- Major travel agency JTB Corp. has started selling a system to lodging facilities in Japan that allows their guests to chat with staff using their own smartphones, in an effort to prevent the coronavirus spread by reducing face-to-face contact.
As of 11 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 17 (Japan time)
- Musical instruments in Japan have flown off the shelves in recent months as more people spend time socially distancing at home during the novel coronavirus pandemic.
- With no end in sight to the novel coronavirus pandemic, Japanese conveyer belt sushi chain Kura Sushi Inc. has started introducing contactless services enabling customers to dine without interacting with staff as part of efforts to minimize the risk of infection.
- The World Health Organization has said that trial results show remdesivir and three other drugs administered to people infected with the novel coronavirus "have little or no effect" in terms of lowering the morality rate.
- U.S. pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc. said Friday that its application for emergency use authorization in the United States for its potential coronavirus vaccine will take place no earlier than the third week of November.
- Tokyo Olympic organizers are considering equipping the athletes' village with "health center-like" functions exclusively for treating competitors and coaches suspected of being infected with the novel coronavirus, officials with knowledge of the situation said Friday.
Japan and beyond: Week in Photos - October 10~16
Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd. unveils a robotic system that can be remotely controlled for novel coronavirus PCR testing in Tokyo on Oct. 12, 2020. (Kyodo)
Useful resources for foreign residents and visitors in Japan
- Tokyo Metropolitan Government's "Tokyo Coronavirus Support Center for Foreign Residents (TOCOS)" multilingual hotline
- Available in Simple Japanese, English, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Nepali, Indonesian, Tagalog, Thai, Portuguese, Spanish, French, Khmer, and Burmese, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays except national holidays.
0120-296-004 (toll free) - AMDA Medical Information Center's "Multilingual Consultation Service"
- Available in Simple Japanese and English, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays. Also available in Chinese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, Tagalog, Thai, and Vietnamese on designated weekdays. Check schedule here.
03-6233-9266 - Tokyo Metropolitan Government's COVID-19 info
https://stopcovid19.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/en/flow/ - Tokyo Metropolitan Government hotline
- Available in English, Chinese, Korean and Japanese, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
0570-550571
- Available via fax for those with hearing impairments
03-5388-1396 - Japan National Tourism Organization's "Guide for when you are feeling ill"
- Multilingual clinic/hospital search available in English, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Japanese
https://www.jnto.go.jp/emergency/eng/mi_guide.html - JNTO's "Japan Visitor Hotline"
- Available in English, Chinese, Korean and Japanese 24 hours a day
050-3816-2787
+81-50-3816-2787 (from overseas)
http://www.mlit.go.jp/kankocho/content/001328767.pdf - Japan's health ministry hotline
- Available in Japanese only, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
0120-565653 - World Health Organization's "Q&A on coronaviruses"
https://www.who.int/news-room/q-a-detail/q-a-coronaviruses
