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Saturday, March 28, 2020

ANALYSIS: Tokyo asks people to stay home amid virus, many venture out

March 28, 2020 09H:27 GMT/ZULU

by Coco Jiang and Biodun Iginla, BBC News and Reuters News Analysts, Tokyo

TOKYO - People in greater Tokyo and the Osaka area in western Japan hunkered down on Saturday as officials urged citizens to stay indoors to prevent a potential emergency, but some were carrying on as normal.

A man wearing a protective face mask, following an outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), is seen through a closed cherry blossom viewing spot during the first weekend after Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike (not pictured) urged Tokyo residents to stay indoors in a bid to keep the coronavirus disease from spreading, at Ueno park in Tokyo, Japan March 28, 2020. REUTERS/Issei Kato

Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike’s plea for the tens of millions of people in the capital and surrounding regions to avoid non-essential, non-urgent outings until April 12, and particularly this weekend, followed a surge in coronavirus infections this week that she said put Tokyo on the brink of an emergency.

Koike urged the public to avoid the national pastime of congregating to drink and watch the cherry blossoms as they hit their peak in the capital, saying on Friday, “The cherry blossoms will bloom again next year.”

Infections in Japan have climbed to more than 1,400, with 47 deaths, excluding those from a cruise ship quarantined last month. Hit early by the coronavirus in its initial spread from China, Japan had seen a more gradual rise than the recent surge in much of Europe and the United States.

This week, however, saw an acceleration that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called “a national crisis”.

Infections on Friday rose by a daily record 102, said public broadcaster NHK. Tokyo reported 40 new cases on Friday, bringing its total to 299.

While those figures are not high for a city of nearly 14 million, with many millions more in neighboring suburbs, experts warn of a high risk of an explosive rise in infections, since authorities have not been able to track all the contacts of more than half the newest cases.

The government has deployed the military to greater Tokyo’s Narita and Haneda airports to assist in virus screenings and the transport of people placed in quarantine, NHK said.

The voluntary calls by Koike and other Japanese leaders for people to stay at home compares with the more rigors lockdowns in major cities in Italy, Britain, France, Spain, and the United States - the new global epicenter of the virus.

Globally, infections have topped half a million with more than 20,000 deaths, with the contagion affecting more than 100 countries.

Abe, who has not declared a national state of emergency, is expected to order economic steps including $135 billion or more in spending, government officials and lawmakers say, joining policymakers globally trying to blunt a downturn.

In a quiet neighborhood close to the prime minister’s private residence in central Tokyo, the scene was typical of a Saturday morning. Some people were jogging and walking their dogs. A few stopped to pray at a local shrine. Auto traffic was brisk on local roads.

“I’m a little worried, but I have an appointment today, which is why I’m outside,” said a 41-year old man walking down the street, who declined to be named.

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“It’s not something that I can’t cancel, but I do have to meet someone. I will be riding the train later.”

Trains weren’t empty but were far less crowded than on a normal weekend. Some department stores, movie theaters, museums and parks closed, but many supermarkets and convenience stores were open as usual.

In Setagaya, a popular residential area in western Tokyo, many restaurants and shops were shut, although those that were open were doing brisk business, including an Italian restaurant that was filled with some young families and older couples.

Nearby, laborers worked on a construction site as if it were a normal day.

Sunday, March 22, 2020

ANALYSIS: Private, online and hi-tech: the coronavirus economy

Issued on: 22/03/2020 - 04:58Modified: 22/03/2020 - 09:57 GMT/ZULU

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Hong Kong

by Coco Jiang and Biodun Iginla, France24 Technology News Analysts

The coronavirus pandemic has sent stock markets into freefall and industries to the wall, however many firms enabling more private, online and tech-based living are emerging as potential winners.

As hundreds of millions of people worldwide are forced to stay in their homes and not travel abroad, the businesses that are helping them to adapt could lead to long-term changes in the economy.

"I think certain aspects of work and organising will change for good through the current situation," said Sally Maitlis, a professor of organisational behaviour at Oxford University's Said Business School.

"People will discover that they can work and communicate in ways they previously didn't think possible, and will be forced to become more nimble with tech through having no choice to do otherwise."

Here are comparisons of several sectors that are thriving and failing in the pandemic:

- E-commerce giants vs independent stores -

Large online retailers have seen a surge in orders as self-isolating or home-working consumers turn to their massive distribution and delivery networks to provide daily essentials.

Shares in US retail giants Walmart and Amazon both tumbled as markets crashed around the world on March 16.

During the week Walmart rose as much as 25 percent from its nine-month low on Monday. Amazon also recovered.

"We are seeing increased online shopping and as a result some products such as household staples and medical supplies are out of stock," Amazon said.

Yet small, independent stores are suffering, said UK Federation of Small Businesses chair Mike Cherry.

"These are already very difficult times for all small businesses right across the country. There are huge concerns over supply chains while on top of this footfall continues to drop. The prospect for these businesses over the coming weeks is increasingly bleak."

- Streaming vs cinemas -

Demand for movies to watch at home has soared so much that Netflix and YouTube are reducing the quality of their streaming in Europe -- which has become the epicentre of the virus -- to ease pressure on the internet.

Worldwide streaming activity jumped by 20 percent last weekend, according to Bloomberg News.

Traditional cinema chains, however, are facing an unprecedented drop in demand.

Some have temporarily closed their doors to help contain the virus's spread.

US-listed shares in Cinemark and AMC Entertainment were both down around 60 percent on Friday from their respective highs in January and February.

- Private jets vs commercial planes -

The airline sector has been hit hard by quarantine rules and border closures, with UK airline Flybe crashing into bankruptcy and experts predicting others will follow.

The International Air Transport Association said Thursday that up to $200 billion is needed to rescue the global industry.

US airlines have sought more than $50 billion in government assistance in recent days, with one top US official saying the outbreak poses a bigger threat to the commercial industry than the September 11 attacks.

In contrast, private jet charter companies are seeing demand soar.

Wealthy customers are seeking to distance themselves from the "unknown" travel histories of fellow passengers, said Daniel Tang, from Hong Kong-based charter company MayJets.

US-based Paramount Business Jets has seen inquiries go "through the roof", its chief executive Richard Zaher said.

Queries have risen 400 percent and bookings are up 20-25 per cent.

- Home workouts vs gyms -

As many gyms close their doors, fitness-lovers are turning to online classes and home workouts.

Shares in US home gym equipment company Peloton surged as investors bet on increasing demand for its stationary exercise bikes and memberships to streaming online workout sessions.

At one stage Peloton's share price was up more than 50 percent from Monday's intra-day low.

- Teleconferences vs real world meetings -

With more and more people working from home to limit the virus's spread, demand for technology that enables online group meetings, chats and collaborations has spiked.

"There is such excitement around remote work that brands like Zoom have seen their stock value climb up," Creative Strategies analyst Carolina Milanesi said, referring to the teleconferencing app.

At the same time, real world gatherings from sporting events to business conferences, have been postponed or cancelled, with a large question mark still lingering over the fate of this summer's Olympic Games in Japan.

Friday, March 13, 2020

ANALYSIS: Chinese official claims US may have brought virus to China

Issued on: 13/03/2020 - 04:08Modified: 13/03/2020 - 10:06 GMT/ZULU

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Beijing

by Coco Jiang and Biodun Iginla, France24 News Analysts

A Chinese official has suggested that the US army may have brought the deadly coronavirus into China, without providing any evidence to support his eyebrow-raising claim.

Zhao Lijian, a foreign ministry spokesman, made the assertion on Twitter late Thursday, echoing similar conspiracy theories proliferating on Chinese social media that blame the US for the pandemic.

The head of China's Center for Disease Control and Prevention has said himself that the source of the virus was wild animals sold at a market in the central city of Wuhan.

But in recent days, Chinese officials and a prominent health expert have claimed that the virus may have originated elsewhere while Beijing has angrily hit back at US officials for calling the disease the "Wuhan virus".

In his tweet, Zhao posted a video of the head of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention testifying before Congress that some Americans who were believed to have died from the flu were posthumously diagnosed with the COVID-19 illness.

"CDC was caught on the spot. When did patient zero begin in US? How many people are infected? What are the names of the hospitals?" Zhao tweeted.

"It might be US army who brought the epidemic to Wuhan. Be transparent! Make public your data! US owe us an explanation!"

Zhao doubled-down on Friday, tweeting an article that he said showed "further evidence that the virus originated in the US".

The Montreal-based website where the article appears, globalresearch.ca, is replete with conspiracy theories about the September 11 attacks on the United States.

Chinese officials have themselves been accused of attempting to cover up the coronavirus outbreak as police in Wuhan reprimanded and silenced doctors who had raised the alarm about the virus as early as December.

US officials have angered China by linking the virus with the country, with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo calling it the "Wuhan virus".

The foreign ministry has rejected the term as "despicable" and "disrespecting science".

More than 130,000 people have been infected by the virus and nearly 5,000 have died across the world so far.

Robert O'Brien, the US national security adviser, insisted on Wednesday that the birthplace of the virus was China.

"This virus did not originate in the United States, it originated in Wuhan," O'Brien said at the Heritage Foundation think tank.

"Unfortunately, rather than using best practices, this outbreak in Wuhan was covered up," he said.

He said China had "cost the world community two months to respond" to the epidemic, which has now killed nearly 5,000 people and infected more than 130,000 worldwide.

Had China been more cooperative and allowed foreign experts on the ground earlier, he said, "we could have dramatically curtailed what happened both in China and what is now happening across the world".

Foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang on Thursday called OBrien's remarks "extremely immoral and also irresponsible".