Abenomasks are Still Haunting Us
At the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, everyone wanted masks, but they were in short supply. The Prime Minister at the time, Mr. Abe, announced every household would receive two washable, reusable masks from the Japanese government. It sounded like a great plan at the time. The government said the plan was reasonable in that it would help reduce the demand for disposable masks and ease public anxiety.
Many people complained about the cost (46.6 billion yen) and the small size and that two per household doesn't work for families. In addition, they took so long to be delivered that people made their own masks and later, masks were back on the store shelves, so the timing was a little off.
I did think they were small. I added a little fabric and decorated one of mine with stitching.
Last week I read in the news that about 83 million of these Abenomasks are still unused and are being kept in a private storage facility costing hundreds of millions of yen! This is about one third of the 280 million masks that were originally made to be distributed.
These leftovers in storage are worth 11.5 billion yen and their storage fee for eight months cost 600 million yen, according to Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshikhiko Isozaki. He insisted the masks were appropriate at the time and that the government would consider the possible use of the masks as needed.
As needed? What does that mean? Needed for another pandemic?
Any ideas? What else could these masks be used for?
8 comments:
Pamela: This mask wearing is so mixed up do or do we not wear them, do they or do they not protect us, when I was working transporting patients I had to get a special mask this was back in the 90s it was a big mask, you were tested by a smoke stick, if any smoke got through you were not protected, I am not sure how a paper or cloth mask can protect us from the germs of the covid, its a question even health care workers have.
I hope you are having a great day and getting many projects finished.
Catherine
At least it was a practical idea, even if not totally successful. I see a lot of disposable masks amongst litter these days. There must be mountains of them in landfill.
The reason for the late distribution of the masks was that the ones in the first shipment from China were soiled and below standard. The demand from all over the world was great and it took time for the second shipment (of masks that passed the quality control) to arrive and be distributed.
The masks in storage might be needed for a new pandemic of some other virus, or for when the air will be full of ash from the eruption of Mt Fuji which many scientists fear is a real possibility. So hang on to your mask!
"needed for another pandemic?" Why another? This one isn't over yet, as far as I know. The masks should be distributed.
I agree with Vireya-San. The good thing about Abenomask is that it can be washed and reused.
I agree with Queenie-san. Coronavirus is not the only use in the future.
I think one solution is the government to distribute is as a stockpile to local governments and school in preparation for natural disasters.
Abenomask was problematic policy from the beginning. I would like the government to confirm and improve it and utilize it for future policies.
The current problem is the large warehouse cost. The new Kishida administration must deal with it immediately.
What I think is the most problematic is that the government takes it for granted that it costs a warehouse.
｢where does the warehouse fee come from?｣
“It's a tax!”
Perhaps the unused masks in storage should be donated to hospitals if they are of medical standard. At one stage there was a shortage of masks in our hospitals. I have seen masks on the streets and walking tracks discarded as rubbish. I went to our large shopping centre yesterday for the first time in months and only 1 or 2 shoppers were not wearing masks,
Sounds like a very expensive process. Maybe the govt think something else is coming along and they are stockpiling just in case.
We've switched to medical grade masks only a while ago, so now I'm siting on ten washable masks I can't wear anywhere!
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