Japan Press Weekly

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2021 May 12 - 18 [POLITICS]

Shiokawa demands that gov't compensate coronavirus-affected nursing-care facilities for their losses in earnings

Japanese Communist Party lawmaker Shiokawa Tetsuya at a House of Representatives committee meeting on May 14 demanded that the government provide compensation to coronavirus-affected nursing-care facilities for their losses in earnings.

Infection clusters have been occurring 40-to-50 times a week at nursing-care facilities in Japan since mid-April, according to Health and Welfare Ministry data.

Shiokawa pointed out that this is more than that occurring at restaurants and hospitals, and pressed the government to conduct periodic PCR tests at public expense at daycare service and home-nursing service facilities in addition to nursing-care staff, nursing-home residents, and nursing-care service users.

He said that a nursing-care facility in Tokyo, for example, suffered an income loss of tens of millions of yen because it had to suspend its services for more than one month after COVID-19 infected people were found in the facility. The government provides financial support to cover costs at care facilities. However, Shiokawa pointed out that the amount of government support is only 500,000 yen for one year. He said, "The government should make up for losses of earnings of nursing-care facilities in order to maintain community care services."

Past related article:
> Corona crisis casts shadow over nursing-care services [April 14, 2020]