Tokyo government issues COVID-19 reminder in Tagalog

MANILA, Philippines — The Tokyo Metropolitan government has stepped up its information campaign against the COVID-19 pandemic, with its top official delivering reminders in various languages, including Tagalog.

“Kahit tayo’y nasa mga pagtitipon at pagdiriwang, lagi pa rin nating isagawa ang paghuhugas ng kamay, pagsusuot ng mask,
 pagsunod sa social distancing at pag-iwas sa 3Cs (Even when we are at gatherings and celebrations, we should still practice hand washing, wearing of masks, social distancing and avoiding the 3Cs),” Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike said in a 40-second video uploaded on the metropolitan government’s YouTube channel.

The 3Cs referred to in the video are closed spaces, crowded places and closed-contact settings, which are identified by experts as areas where there is a high risk of transmission of the virus.

“Magtulungan po tayo na maprotektahan ang ating mga mahal sa buhay, ayon sa slogan na ‘Iwasang mahawa at huwag manghawa’ (Let us work together to protect our loved ones and follow the slogan, ‘avoid getting infected and do not infect others’),” she added.

The video, uploaded on Nov.13, has already been viewed over 20,000 times.

Versions showing the governor speaking in other languages – including English, Vietnamese, Nepali and Burmese – were also uploaded on the YouTube channel.

There was also a Japanese version with captions in other foreign languages, including Thai and Chinese.