November 14, 2020
Japanese Communist Party Policy Commission Chair Tamura Tomoko on November 13 at a press conference in the Diet building said that with Japan witnessing a surge in daily tallies of COVID-19 cases again, the government should review its “Go To” subsidy campaigns for individuals to travel in Japan, stay at hotels and eat in restaurants.
Tamura criticized Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide for irresponsibly intending to continue the “Go To” campaigns without any adjustments. She stressed that the subsidy programs need improvements with the aim of both curbing infections and keeping struggling businesses afloat.
In order to avoid a second declaration of emergency, Tamura noted, it is urgently necessary to slow the infection rate. She pointed out that the “Go To” campaigns currently cover the entire country, but cities or prefectures should be excluded if they are undergoing a surge in coronavirus cases. Tamura also said that the government should devise a way of supporting businesses in the food service and tourism industries in each region.
Tamura quoted the chair of the government council on coronavirus countermeasures as saying that the more people come and go between prefectures, the more widely COVID-19 infections will spread. She argued that if the continuation of the "Go To" programs results in a further spread of the coronavirus, this will deliver a severe blow to the tourism industry. Tamura insisted that the government should not just thoughtlessly subsidize travel expenses but also provide support to businesses to help keep them afloat.
Tamura went on to say that the government should expand another subsidy program for business continuation so that recipient companies will be able to claim compensation payments again. She proposed that the government should consider support measures by taking into account the needs of each industry and each region. Tamura underscored the need to improve the "Go To" travel campaign to include small businesses that were unable to benefit from the program.
Past related articles:
> JCP Koike: 'Go To travel' campaign has no mechanism to find out about campaign-induced COVID-19 [August 5 & 7, 2020]
> Shii demands postponement of 'Go To Travel' campaign [July 18, 2020]
Tamura criticized Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide for irresponsibly intending to continue the “Go To” campaigns without any adjustments. She stressed that the subsidy programs need improvements with the aim of both curbing infections and keeping struggling businesses afloat.
In order to avoid a second declaration of emergency, Tamura noted, it is urgently necessary to slow the infection rate. She pointed out that the “Go To” campaigns currently cover the entire country, but cities or prefectures should be excluded if they are undergoing a surge in coronavirus cases. Tamura also said that the government should devise a way of supporting businesses in the food service and tourism industries in each region.
Tamura quoted the chair of the government council on coronavirus countermeasures as saying that the more people come and go between prefectures, the more widely COVID-19 infections will spread. She argued that if the continuation of the "Go To" programs results in a further spread of the coronavirus, this will deliver a severe blow to the tourism industry. Tamura insisted that the government should not just thoughtlessly subsidize travel expenses but also provide support to businesses to help keep them afloat.
Tamura went on to say that the government should expand another subsidy program for business continuation so that recipient companies will be able to claim compensation payments again. She proposed that the government should consider support measures by taking into account the needs of each industry and each region. Tamura underscored the need to improve the "Go To" travel campaign to include small businesses that were unable to benefit from the program.
Past related articles:
> JCP Koike: 'Go To travel' campaign has no mechanism to find out about campaign-induced COVID-19 [August 5 & 7, 2020]
> Shii demands postponement of 'Go To Travel' campaign [July 18, 2020]
