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Masking in Japan in 2023
I went to Japan over the holidays, where I felt at times like I’d been thrust back into the bowels of 2020, a place I feel no one should ever want to go, but I admit that I should not have been as surprised as I was.
Japan has tighter requirements for entry for foreigners than many other countries in Asia. The government maintained a restrictive Visa requirement into October 2022. This is gone now, but for entry in 2023, one must still show either proof of “full vaccination,” which includes at least one booster (three shots), or a PCR test within 72 hours of one’s arrival in the country.
Before the pandemic, I’d perform on cruise ships every few weeks. It’s a great gig: well-paying, responsive audiences and an opportunity to visit places as diverse as Ushuaia and Singapore. While I’m certain that restrictions such as lockdowns impacted others more than me, they certainly changed my life significantly. Much of it was for the good: I began spending more time with my wife and children than ever. I learned to cook – and to love it. I spent months intensely rehabilitating an injury to my foot and then seamlessly transitioning to another rehab after surgery on my knee, culminating in the completion of my second marathon. (Pro-tip: getting physically stronger is the closest thing to a cure-all for aches and pains.) I’m now again fully fit and looking forward to our family’s skiing trip.
Increasingly, I’ve been alarmed at the number of people in my own circle who wear their symbols of fear: the mask. They are all smart women, rational under most life circumstances, but refuse to let go of wearing their masks. It is like a comfort blanket, even an amulet, that will protect them from the evil forces of COVID. No matter how much information they receive on the minimal protection that masks provide, they persist. My biggest concern is that these people are living in a hyper condition of fear, and they don’t even recognize it. It’s also interesting that they will sacrifice wearing their masks in certain circumstances. I wanted to explore whether prolonging the donning of masks, which could be practiced for the foreseeable future, might have a permanent negative effect on their well-being. The news does not suggest a bright future.
In an effort to follow through on her promised transition from defunding to refunding the police, San Francisco Mayor London Breed announced that the city would take a zero-tolerance approach to maskless shoplifting, promising stiffer sentences for those who fail to properly mask up when relieving stores of hundreds of dollars in merchandise the proceeds from which are then fenced and laundered before you’re back from lunch.
CDC director Rochelle Wallensky announced today that when it comes to reducing the threat from COVID-19, exercise, a well-rounded diet rich in nutrients and a generally healthy lifestyle are no substitutes for receiving a vaccine booster every seven months.
New Florida Surgeon General, Joseph Ladapo, is taking a 
According to sources familiar with the matter, the 2021 Met Gala’s controversial “hybrid masking policy” represented an attempt by event planners to simultaneously protect invited guests from the coronavirus while reminding The Help that they are there not to speak but to be spoken to.