Mie Prefecture extended the State of Emergency period due to the increase in cases of infections with the coronavirus, and issued the State of Emergency Measures for Mie Prefecture Version 2 (Mieken Kinkyu Jitai Sochi – 三重県緊急事態措置 ver 2), that will last until May 31st.

However, the government withdrew the State of Emergency from Mie Prefecture and prepared the “Guideline to prevent the spread of the coronavirus” (in Japanese only).  The content is described below.

1. To all the citizens of the province

Citizens were not asked to avoid leaving home, but it is still recommended to avoid going to places where there is a chance of outbreaks (bars, clubs, etc.) or to provinces that remain under Special Alert (Hokkaido, Saitama, Chiba, Tokyo  , Kanagawa, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyogo).

Also try to avoid going to other provinces and taking international trips to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

2. How to get used to the new daily life

To protect your health, the health of your family and friends, it is important to prevent yourself from getting infected and spread the virus.  So take these following steps.

1     Know the basic methods of preventing the coronavirus

2    Avoid enclosed and crowded places

3    Maintain social distancing

3. To all the citizens of other provinces

People who lives in provinces that are still under the state of emergency alert are asked to avoid coming to Mie, whether for tourism, leisure or visiting a family.

For people living in the other provinces, it is recommended to avoid coming to Mie, unless it is necessary.

4. Take action based on facts

Discrimination and prejudice against people infected with the coronavirus and their family members or those involved, residents of other provinces who have come to Mie to be hospitalized or to work, health care providers, people who have returned from other countries and foreigners living in Japan are unforgivable acts.

Mie province asks everyone to be very careful so that there will be no discrimination or prejudice.

The authorities also ask everyone to avoid spreading dubious information so as not to cause overreaction, as there have been cases of people who over-bought certain products after false information was circulated on social media.

5. About public schools

Since May 18, public schools have started to return to normal.  Until the 29th of May, the province will gradually return going to school in groups, and will provide online classes.

Schools will be normalized from 1 June.

However, the opening of schools in shogakko and chugakko may change depending on the decision of the Education Committee of each municipality, so follow the instructions given by the school or the educational committee.

Original message from the Governor available on the Prefectural Homepage (in Japanese only)

https://www.pref.mie.lg.jp/YAKUMUS/HP/m0068000067_00020.htm

Guideline to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus available on the Prefectural Homepage (in Japanese only)

https://www.pref.mie.lg.jp/common/content/000890000.pdf