[GENERAL] The SKE48 Thread

Aiai and Ayamero have both tested positive for Coronavirus:
https://www.ske48.co.jp/news/?id=1627905069

Both have had fevers but are in a stable condition. Additionally Yuzuki and Airi are being tested as close contacts.

 

It's so ridiculous. Aiai performed with both Team S and 7D2 in the last two weeks, not to mention the Sign-Kai last week. They should put ALL of them in quarantine for the next week or until they test negative...
Plus I really hope Zest manages to organize some vaccines asap.

Again the horrible handling of the pandemic is showing...

 

Ya really disconcerting how members among all-48 where performing and practicing without vaccination. Even if it was made widely available to members and staff, they are all young people and wouldn't be considered priority for getting the wakuwaku chinchin. Adult members still have to agree to get it, minors still need their parents consent. though AKS and subs could make it a requirement for performing. Japan has had a notoriously slow rollout.

Thankfully everyone is young and will hopefully recover quickly. Fingers crossed.

An article from the lancet highlighting 3 obstacles impeding Japan's vaccine rollout.

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(21)01220-4/fulltext

Just want to add the decision to continue with the Olympics at all. I understand the economic reasons and I don't even fault the Japanese govt for going forward with the spectacle. But the idea of thousands of atheletes competing in contact and team sports, each with their own unique antibodies, mixed in high temperature high humidity climate, mutating and then going home. I'm not so pessimistic as to think the human will not be able handle these new strains , people are already becoming more resistant, with or without vaccination. But it still means more masks, more sick people and good business for boosters.

 

SKE48 has now published a list of close contacts with Aiai and Ayamero:
https://www.ske48.co.jp/news/?id=1627989979

The list has 11 members of Team KII as well as 2 team managers and a dance instructor. None of them has poor physical condition but they will all withdraw from activity until 8/15 and resumption will depend on the results of PCR testing.

Meanwhile Team S will continue to prepare for their SKE48 Summer Zepp Tour 2021 concert at Zepp Nagoya on 8/11.

 

They'll have to live in Zorb bubbles until then

 

This is so ridiculous.
Aiai had a Sign-Kai-Event two days before she showed symptoms. Which in case of Covid means she was very likely already contagious at that time. Those members spend 5! hours in a room with her, only with these ridiculous mouth shields.
And yet most of them are NOT on that quarantine list. She also had a radio recording in the evening, again, no one is on that list. This is just management playing with the health of the members, it really pisses me off
Here in Germany everyone who had contact to Aiai or Ayamelo in the last 2 weeks would have to get in self-quarantine for 14 days, with the option to take a test after 10 days to get out.

I'm sure we will see more cases in SKE coming up...

 

Yes, those mouth shields are patently ridiculous. Face masks are uncomfortable to wear for long periods of time, social distancing is the best solution.

It's Japanese society as a whole it seems, the response seems so inconsistent and passive at times. Plus their vaccine rollout seems well below many other advanced countries. In Europe you've got many countries with 50-70% of the adult population vaccinated whereas Japan is way lower.

 

Also, they started vaccinating only a few months ago.
Around april or may.

 

Japan has to proceed the Olympic under the pressure from IOC. That organization is to blame if anything terrible happens to Japan.

This is definitely not the fault of Zest/Keyholder. By universal standard for pandemic control, the medical officer must track back the activity of the patients and it is their duty to judge who are in high risk that should be quarantine to not spreading the disease. It can't be the fault of the agency if it simply followed the advice from the medical officer.

 

They are responsible for their employees (members) wellbeing during work. So in my opinion, they should make sure to take ALL measures to ensure that. Including sending all contact persons into quarantine, whether a medical officer identifies them or they do it.

 

Latest Covid news is that Mizuno Airi has tested positive (but is in a stable condition):
https://www.ske48.co.jp/news/?id=1628422277

Arai Yuki has been identified as an additional close contact. She tested negative but will continue to be monitored. The other close contact KII members will remain at home until 8/15. Also, the Team S concert scheduled for 8/11 at Zepp Nagoya has been postponed.

 

Today's Team E theater show has been cancelled after 3 members (Honono, Oochan and KKS Aoki Rika) had body temperature tests which came close to 37.5C:
https://www.ske48.co.jp/news/?id=1629099117

 

Can't say I'm surprised after seeing how they treated Aiai's and Ayamelo's cases...

 

Good news today is that Honono, Oochan and Rika have all received negative results from their PCR tests:
https://www.ske48.co.jp/news/?id=1629210711

 

Message video for JAM EXPO 2020-2021:


if the video does not show watch the video here

 

The SKE48 13th Anniversary Festival 2021 on 9/25 & 26 has been cancelled due to difficulties in holding tne event with current Covid infection control measures:
https://www.ske48.co.jp/news/?id=1629431320

 

I'm glad they cancelled it. I mean, of course I was looking forward to it (and the announcements that surely would have come with that) but given the current situation, especially with the cases among the members, it would be really hard to justify such an event.

On a related note, they also reduced the number of members per theater stage back to 8

 

Two more events have been cancelled/postponed - the group's appearance at JAM EXPO 2020-2021 and the Coming Flavor event in Shinjuku on 8/26:
https://www.ske48.co.jp/news/?id=1629801992

It looks possible that there may be some connection with the announcement today that Nao has tested positicve for Covid:
https://www.ske48.co.jp/news/?id=1629790725

 

It has, to a certain extend. They write in the Nao-News that the risk of moving a large number of members and staff to Tokyo would be too great of a risk at the moment

 

Furuhata Nao is probably the largest name in SKE48 (and maybe among current 48G members, correct me if I'm wrong) to get hit with covid. Get well soon Nao