1. Advance response to COVID-19 with the people of Tokyo

Share the importance of “Don’t get infected and don’t infect others”

I would like to first speak about our response to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
I again offer my deepest thanks to the people and businesses of Tokyo who are fully cooperating with our COVID-19 response while we are under a state of emergency. I also extend my gratitude to the health care providers and all who are fighting the virus day and night. Although new positive cases are declining thanks to everyone’s tremendous efforts, the number of hospitalized patients is still at a high level with the strain on the system for the provision of health care becoming long-term. There are many reports of people of all ages who are suffering from the long-term symptoms of COVID-19, which is why I want to share with the people of Tokyo once again the importance of “Don’t get infected and don’t infect others,” so that they can each protect their own health and lives as well of those they care for.

We cannot yet let down our guard. This is a critical stage. I sincerely ask that you continue to cooperate with basic countermeasures so that our efforts were not in vain.

With regard to vaccinations, priority vaccinations for health care workers began today. To smoothly implement vaccinations, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government (TMG), for its part, advanced preparations in concert with the municipalities, medical associations, and others. I hope we will continue fighting this invisible enemy together while giving the people and businesses of Tokyo a sense of security and hope.

Concrete initiatives for protecting lives and health

Tokyo iCDC, which forms the core of infectious disease response, is building IT infrastructure for centralization and visualization of COVID-19 data to facilitate more advanced analysis. The board of experts is conducting investigations and research in order to further advance countermeasures based on evidence and develop effective measures to defeat unknown viruses.

Unified measures by Tokyo and the three prefectures of Saitama, Chiba, and Kanagawa, which have many people traveling among them, to restrain the movement of people will produce significant results. Presently, we have adopted a broad range of measures that include requesting businesses to shorten their hours, appeals that consider generational differences in behavior, and concentrated implementation of telecommuting to reduce the number of employees going into the office by 70 percent, and we will advance effective measures as we continue working closely with each other.

Regarding Tokyo Telework Rules, which aims to further establish remote work in the public and private sectors, over 600 businesses so far have pledged to implement this. We are also endorsing flexible half-day and hourly telecommuting through an initiative called “Tele-half.” In the next fiscal year, we will launch more detailed support such as establishing one-stop online consultation services and dispatching experts to increase the implementation of remote work even more.

Securing employment is also an important challenge for protecting the lives of the people of Tokyo. I will advance bold employment measures with those facing difficulties due to the COVID-19 pandemic in mind. By borrowing from America’s response to the Great Depression of the 1930s, the New Deal, I will resolutely advance the Tokyo New Deal, a plan for the creation of over 20,000 jobs with initiatives including trial employment at businesses with high recruitment needs and TMG-original vocational training in fields such as IT, health care, and nursing.

We are now formulating an additional supplementary budget for measures to curb the spread of infection and to strengthen and enhance the safety nets supporting economic activities and the livelihoods of the people of Tokyo. I will propose this to the Assembly shortly for your deliberations.