Japan Health Minister Apologizes For Partying Despite Restrictions
JAPAN HEALTH MINISTER – Health, Labor, and Welfare Minister Norihisa Tamura lamented recent events as he apologizes for his officials throwing a big party amid restrictions due to COVID-19.
Recently, the Japanese government imposed a protocol ordering shorter business hours to curb the spread of the coronavirus. But, despite this, 23 officials, held a big party in Tokyo.
According to a report from ABS-CBN, the health ministry held a farewell party at a restaurant in the Ginza district up until midnight. During his apology speech, he said that his actions “betrayed people’s trust”.
Currently, the government of Tokyo lifted its second state of emergency on March 21. However, they requested restaurants and bars to close earlier at around 9:00 p.m.. effective until April 21.
Furthermore, Tamura stated that a senior health ministry official booked a table at the restaurant that was open until 11:00 p.m. As per the report, they started early at 7:15 p.m. with more than 10 of the 23 participants, including their chief staying until midnight.
“It is extremely regrettable that the health ministry, which is in charge of the coronavirus response, was involved in such a case”
Japan is among the many countries lauded for their quick response to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, they have had lapses leading to second waves of the virus and more lockdowns.
Still, they managed to control the numbers using quick and efficient contact tracing and isolation methods. Currently, Japan managed to plateau its holiday spike this year with only 1,290 cases detected yesterday.
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