TravelBio

Sunset along the beach in Hayama On February 1st, a man from Hong Kong who had been on the Diamond Princess cruise ship was diagnosed with coronavirus. Three days later, the ship docked at the port of Yokohama, just south of Tokyo. The following morning, over 10 people on board tested positive. The Japanese government decided they would keep all 3,711 passengers and crew on the ship and try to implement a quarantine. For two weeks no one was allowed off the ship (unless they tested positive--then they were transferred to a medical facility), passengers were largely confined to their cabins and medical staff conducted periodic tests for the virus. Medical staff conducted daily tests on passengers and crew The story was huge new in Japan, with media reporting from the docks 24/7 Problem is, the ship acted more as an incubator than a quarantine. Doctors also reported of disorganization on board, with no demarcation between infection free areas and those potentially ...

It's now the last week of May and our company is starting to send people back to the office. Since I can do my work remotely, it might take a few more weeks for me to go back, but it won't be long until I have to commute again. Before that happens, I wanted to release a few more blog updates.  I have been working remotely since early April, although Japan was on alert about Covid-19 months before. By mid-February our company was already advising us not to go out drinking in crowded places, and some businesses were restricting hours. Japan never went into full lockdown mode-- restaurants are still open (though not all), the metro is running normally, and there are no restrictions on leaving the house. Despite the leniency, most people have played it safe; the vast majority wear masks in public and wash their hands regularly. Initially I was lukewarm about the prospect of working at home in my small apartment, which doesn't even have a table. But I am used to it...