Complacency about social distancing seems to be settling in. Tokyo's parks are full of revelers eager to celebrate the arrival of spring
is making some of its most important coverage of the covid-19 pandemic freely available to readers ofEVERY MARCH and April trees along the banks of the Meguro river in Tokyo fleetingly erupt with fat pink and white cherry blossoms, heralding the arrival of spring. For a few glorious weeks, millions of people across the city flee the drudgery of the office and factory to spend an hour or two in places like this, eating and drinking under fallingpetals.
Nobody seems quite sure why. Apart from sending nearly 14m children home from school, the government largely ducked the draconian measures taken elsewhere. Lofty standards of public hygiene have certainly helped—initial reports of the disease triggered panic-buying and street brawls over hand-sanitisers and surgical facemasks. Even the cultural preference for bowing over hugs and handshakes may be playing a part.
Until this week, the capital has still officially been limbering up for the world’s biggest sporting event. The Olympic torch arrived from Greece on March 20th to a forlorn welcoming ceremony at a military base in northern Japan. More than $12bn has been splurged on preparations—though some estimates suggest the eventual cost will be more than twice that.
Singapore Latest News, Singapore Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Guests at Trump National Golf Club disco party get coronavirusCoronavirus: Guests at Trump National Golf Club disco party get coronavirus, including politicians
Read more »
'Ragtime' playwright Terrence McNally dies from coronavirus complicationsTerrence McNally, a four-time Tony Award-winning playwright, has died from complications due to coronavirus.
Read more »
Japan says Tokyo Olympics may be postponed due to coronavirusJapanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said for the first time on Monday that the To...
Read more »
Coronavirus: L.A. County Reports Highest Spike With 128 New Cases and Two DeathsDr. Barbara Ferrer, director of L.A. County Department of Public Health, said the 536 cases includes 17 cases out of Long Beach and three in Pasadena as both of those cities operate with independent public health departments
Read more »
Rob Reiner and Max Brooks stress need for social distancing'It's not just about you getting infected, it's about who you can infect.' — Author and actor Max Brooks discusses a PSA he made with his father — 93-year-old comedian Mel Brooks — to the stress the need for social distancing.
Read more »
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a virus (more specifically, a coronavirus) identified as the cause of an outbreak of respiratory illness first detected in Wuhan, China.
Read more »