As of 11 p.m., Saturday, April 3
- A northeastern Japan city recently urged caution to the media on the use of the shortened popularized moniker "Mambo" -- a play on words for stronger measures against the novel coronavirus and its ocean sunfish symbolic of its post-disaster reconstruction.
- At the height of the last coronavirus surge, months before the current second wave, minority Sikhs, in a gesture of humanity, began providing free ambulance service for COVID-19 patients in India's capital city.
- Two Ground Self-Defense Force personnel dispatched to Djibouti in eastern Africa have been infected with the novel coronavirus, the Japanese Defense Ministry said Saturday.
As of 11 p.m., Friday, April 2
- Japan's failure to sufficiently stem the spread of the coronavirus under a state of emergency has led to an unexpectedly sharp rise in the number of new cases in Osaka, forcing Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga to designate the western prefecture and two other areas for stricter measures against COVID-19.
- As Japan's foodservice industry tries to stay afloat amid the coronavirus pandemic, some restaurants have been looking to the start of the day to make up for revenue lost in curtailed evening trade, offering popular lunch and dinner items in a new breakfast service.
- Restaurant and hotel operators in Osaka, Hyogo and Miyagi prefectures expressed disappointment Thursday after the government designated the areas for stronger measures against growing COVID-19 cases, hoping the measures will not be prolonged.
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)
https://www.seikatubunka.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/chiiki_tabunka/tabunka/tabunkasuishin/0000001452.html - 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/ - Tokyo Metropolitan Government hotline
https://stopcovid19.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/en/contacts
- Available in English, Chinese, Korean and Japanese, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. (including weekends and holidays)
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"
https://www.japan.travel/en/plan/hotline/
- Available in English, Chinese, Korean and Japanese 24 hours a day
050-3816-2787
+81-50-3816-2787 (from overseas) - 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