Late last evening the news came out: Prime Minister Abe asked for the shutdown of all public schools up until the new school year (beginning of April). Up until now Japan was on alert regarding the Corona virus. The news called for much more concern everywhere. Lines for stores backed up before opening hours. Toilet paper, soap and masks were all sold out. The governor of the norther prefecture of Hokkaido asked all residents to stay indoors this weekend. It’s serious.
This morning as we told the girls they may not be finishing their 4th grade year, they were anything but sad. For kids who don’t know better, it’s like a vacation in March, usually one of the busiest times of the year.
With the olympics coming up, this may be a good decision for the health of all of the kids here in Japan. The travelers quarantined on the Diamond Princess for several days have since been released and let back into society. These potential carriers of the virus have everyone on high alert for future signs of infections. The problem is that there is no easy way to get tested for Corona virus infection in Japan. The hospitals are not equipped to test everyone who wants to be tested. So the number of cases may be much higher than what is being reported for the simple fact that most people don’t have access to the test.
This weekend we are preparing our Paz Church services to be streamed online, so that people can watch from the confines of their own homes. I will be speaking about security and assurance in times of uncertainty, and if you’d like to join the livestream, visit us at https://paz.church/japan/.