JAPAN WON'T LET PASSENGERS OFF PLANES FROM MEXICO (UNTIL DRS/NURSES CHECK EACH PERSON UPON LANDING)

Nikkei News, Japan (in Japanese) ^ | 27 April 2009 | Nikkei News

[AmericanInTokyo]

Nikkei news announces urgent measures by Japan Ministry of Health and Welfare, starting with the next aircraft arriving on 29 April, (there are two direct flights a week from Mexico to Japan), passengers will not be allowed off the aircraft and on to Japanese soil, until a team of 3-6 Japanese doctors and nurses, who have entered the landed craft, check each passenger, survey the group in total, interview, use thermographic testing imagery equipment, etc. to look for Mexican Swine Flu symptoms; passengers will be monitored for 10 days after entering Japan as well. Passengers coming in from California, which may have had some people orgininating in Mexico, will also undergoe strict surveillance. Signs are already being constructed at Narita Airport, Japan, and people walking into immigration queues are first being checked with instrumentation to find those with fever or otherwise sick.

Japanese government checklist, "Phase 4-A" and "Phase 4-B", and how to handle Japanese or foreigners discovered in Japan with this bug.

[AmericanInTokyo]

View from East Asia.

Photo at airport today in Japan; medical personal at door of craft once people are let off. (Note one man operating thermal body detection equipment on left--which looks like a video camera, in addition to him holding other technical equipment in his right hand; colleague across from him with mask on). Each alighting airline passenger at Narita from Mexico in this picture (and on other flights) is being screened. Lying about one's condition is punishable by six months in jail and or up to $50,000 fine. Japan seems to be attempting ZERO TOLERANCE against allowing this pandemic strain into the country.

[luckystarmom]

Good for them. I take it that you are living there. Well, you should be safer than being at home right now.

[Southack]

Very smart.

[TheThinker]

Considering the population density, I don’t blame them one bit. Even without it, I wouldn’t blame them.

[frankiep]

Don’t they know that this is racist? /s

[Brad’s Gramma]

But boy howdy, WE can’t do ANYthing but wring our hands and golf.

I’m glad Japan’s handling this the smart way!

[Freedom56v2]

Very smart indeed. Wish our government would do the same and keep politics out of it!!

[AmericanInTokyo]

With most Japanese, (and their government) if it is a toss up between perhaps offffffffending someone on the one hand, and risking one's life through exposure to a horrid and confusing disease on the other, benevelence and political correctness are shitcanned, and basically normative common sense and self preservation kicks in. There is no hand-wringing and internal debate over it on national talk shows with liberal talking heads discussing and arguing and paralyzing critical action for a full week as to what we ought to do, to "respect immigrants rights". They just DO IT.

[AmericanInTokyo]

maybe we need that little kid .gif right about now. ;-)

[AmericanInTokyo]

/sarc

[balch3]

it might work for a short time with only two flights a week, but eventually it will get through. There’s no hiding from this unless you’re in antarctica.

[ChicagahAl]

"Passengers coming in from California...."

...which is a subsidiary of Mexico. Bless the Japanese. They are doing the right thing, and they may end up saving us all from another 1918-19 style pandemic.

[max americana]

Stay safe AIT. At least Japan has zero tolerance on bleeding hearts, unlike here in Obama-land.

[AmericanInTokyo]

I challenge that assumption.

And my textbook of proof is how Japan handled SARS (also how South Korea handled was also excellent), the very low SARS diffusion rate, back in the early 2000s.

Japan was able to keep it at an extremely low level and very controlled. Japanese people to begin with are incredibly sanitary about washing hands, etc. as well; nobody needs to educate them constantly such as with the "lavamos sus manos" stickers one sees in filthy bathrooms of Mexican restaurants in the USA for the illegal alien employees. This global thing will scare the daylights out of the Japanese and they will step up to the plate. I have no reason to believe less of them.

Table 1 SARS Probable Cases by Country (June 12, 2003) Country Cumulative Cases Deaths Current Cases Australia 5 0 0 Canada 238 32 65 China 5,328 343 528 Hong Kong 1,755 291 87 Japan 0 0 0 South Korea 3 0 0 Taiwan 688 81 260 Mongolia 9 0 0 Philippines 14 2 12 Singapore 206 31 5 Thailand 9 2 1 United States 70 0 34 Vietnam 63 5 0 Other 57 3 4 World Total 8,445 790 996 Source: World Health Organization.

[lainie]

This morning I saw thermal cameras in use in Japanese airports on TV. I wonder how well it works?

Also, what are U.S. military bases in Japan doing? Or rather what is Japan doing to them. ;)

[AmericanInTokyo]

I am sure the US military in Japan is tip top shape on this kind of thing. My impression is they would have screening. However it is a long way from Guadalajara to Yokosuka; nevertheless their medical authorities will indeed be on the lookout for any irregulatiries.

[mkjessup]

Good post AiT, too bad some of that Japanese spine and no-nonsense approach to public safety isn’t seen here in the U.S. of A.

Stay safe.

[mkjessup]

But boy howdy,

LOL, thank you for that Gramma, I had not heard that phrase since MY Grandmother used it (she went to be with the Lord in '71), you wouldn't perhaps know the origins of that saying?

Have yourself a great week! :)

[mkjessup]

it might work for a short time with only two flights a week, but eventually it will get through. There’s no hiding from this unless you’re in antarctica.

Well ask yourself this: would you prefer to be in a room with 1 infected person, or perhaps a dozen?

The Japanese have clearly opted for the former.

[Brad’s Gramma]

you wouldn't perhaps know the origins of that saying?

Boy Howdy, I sure don't! :) :)

I can ask the older brother who will, of course, give me a smart aleck answer. Ha!

Bless you...YOU have a great week too!