Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga declared an emergency in Tokyo and other metropolitan areas the day before and appealed to reduce the number of attendees by 70% through telecommuting, but it is not very different from the usual appearance, so it is not an atmosphere to refrain from going to work yet. Seemed to be.
Tokyo train scene on the first day of emergency ▶ Click here for a larger view
A male office worker in her 50s who met on the Oedo Line, a circular train in Tokyo, told Yonhap News on the day that “the way I work in particular has not changed.”
The Nippon Geizai Shimbun also said that unlike when the emergency was issued in April-May last year, this time, nighttime measures, such as refraining from going out after 8 p.m. and shortening restaurant business hours, were the main focus.
A male office worker in his 30s said that the train was crowded as usual in Nihon Keizai, and said, “Compared to last spring, the sense of crisis people feel is weak.”
The emergency declaration period is from this day to the 7th of the following month, and the target areas are the 1st and 3rd prefectures in the metropolitan area including Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama, and Chiba.
From the 12th of this month, when the three-day holiday ends, the number of commuters in the metropolitan area may decrease as telecommuting increases.
A female office worker in her 40s said to Yonhap News, “I have been to work every other day until now,” and “I’m thinking of doing telework again.”
A female office worker in her 20s residing in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture also said, “After the emergency declaration was lifted in May last year, the overall rate of attendance has increased,” and predicted that the company is expected to reduce the number of attendees in the future.
Japanese Prime Minister Suga declares a corona 19 emergency▶ Click here for a larger view
Citizens of the metropolitan area also voiced criticism that Prime Minister Suga’s announcement of the emergency was too late amid the rapid spread of Corona 19 infection in Japan.
A woman in her twenties residing in Yokohama City pointed out, “It should have been issued before the holiday season for the year-end and New Year holidays.”
He responded that the reason for the delay in the announcement of the emergency was whether he had prioritized the economy or was afraid of being criticized by the public when it was issued.
A woman in her 40s who met on the Oedo Line also said, “I felt like I was barely holding on from the beginning of December last year,” saying that the emergency was late.
Some also suggested that the issuance of emergencies should be expanded to other areas such as Osaka Prefecture outside the metropolitan area.
A female office worker in her twenties residing in Tokyo said, “Why are there only one and three prefectures in the metropolitan area?” (Interview assistant: Correspondent Sakiko Murata)
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