About the New Coronavirus Basic Infection Countermeasures The number of new coronavirus cases in our immediate environs, be it in our homes, our workplaces, or our schools, is on the rise. However, the basic countermeasures against infections are still effective in preventing the spread of the disease. Wear a mask Wash hands and disinfect hands and fingers Maintain physical distance from other people Frequent ventilation Avoid the 3Cs Refrain from dining with large groups of people Steps to Take at Home When There Is a Possible Infection in Your Family Let’s take these steps in addition to the basic countermeasures above. Assign rooms Assign a room just for the infected person, and have him or her remain in their room as much as possible. Have as few people as possible provide care to the infected person Avoid having persons with chronic heart, lung, or kidney ailments, diabetes, lowered immunity or pregnancies care for the infected person Disinfect all commonly shared surfaces that get touched by hand Wipe down doorknobs and similar shared surfaces with diluted commercially available home-use chlorine bleach, then wipe clean with water. Wash the individual’s linen and clothing Wear gloves and a mask when washing linens or clothing soiled with bodily fluids. Wash with household laundry detergent, and dry completely. Dispose of waste in tightly sealed bags. Quickly throw away any tissue paper used for blowing the infected person’s nose and similar waste in a plastic bag, seal it tightly, and put it out in the garbage. What to Do When Someone Close to You Is Confirmed to Be Infected People who may have had contact with an infected person Place yourself under medical observation※ for two weeks from the last time you were in contact with the infected person. Even if you are confirmed to be infected yourself, please continue to practice infection prevention measures in order to prevent infecting other people. ※ Monitor whether you have any health problems, including an elevated temperature or coughing, a sore throat, and/or trouble breathing or other respiratory problems. If You Feel Like You Have Cold Symptoms Contact your regular physician or other medical care provider and get examined. Depending on the examination, you may be asked to get tested. If You Have Been Identified as Having Been in Close Contact with An Infected Person Even if you test negative for the virus, take countermeasures against infection (including staying at home voluntarily) and remain under health observation for the full health observation period※ while continuing to observe your condition. ※ Depending on the timing, there are instances when a test may still register negative even though you have already been infected. When infections are confirmed at your workplace or elsewhere, if you had opportunities to be in close contact with the infected person you should put yourself under two-week medical observation. If you feel unwell, do not push yourself, but instead notify your workplace and rest at home. Yokohama City New Coronavirus Call Center Open 24-hours Yokohama City New Coronavirus Call Center (Consultation Center for returnees from abroad and individuals in contact with infected persons) Tel: 045-550-5530 Fax: 045-846-0500 For details see page 2. All events introduced in Koho Yokohama are held with new coronavirus countermeasures in place. When you participate in such events, please cooperate when asked by the event organizers to take new coronavirus countermeasures. To Protect All Our Lives and Our Medical System On January 7 the Government of Japan declared a state of emergency covering the Tokyo Area. I would like to thank all our citizens and business people from the bottom of my heart for your understanding and cooperation with the stricter restrictions on going out, the shortening of business hours, and other constraints included under this declaration. The number of new coronavirus infections continues to rise, and medical facilities in Yokohama are facing an extremely challenging situation over the long term. What has been supporting our highly stressed medical institutions are all the medical workers who have been giving their utmost night and day, driven by their strong sense of duty to save people’s precious lives. The City of Yokohama’s medical institutions are staying in close contact with one another, collaborating and – under the arrangements of Y-CERT, the infectious disease and medical institution coordination headquarters – securing hospital beds and sustaining the system for providing medical care. However, the pressure on our medical personnel working in the frontlines is mounting as never before, and they are feeling a great sense of crisis. In order to protect both the frontlines of our health care system and our own lives, it is essential that each and every one of us continues to take our own countermeasures against the virus without lowering our guard in order to prevent the spread of new infections. I request that all citizens of Yokohama stay at home and only go out for what is essential for your own lives. In particular, I ask that you that you not go out after 20:00 unless it is urgent and absolutely necessary. Please avoid the so-called “five dangerous situations”: social gatherings where alcohol is served, drinking or dining with large numbers of people or at lengthy social gatherings, and engaging in conversation without wearing masks. I also ask that you not let up in continue to observe those basic infection countermeasures: avoiding the “3Cs,” wearing masks, and frequently washing your hands. In our fiscal 2021 budget proposal we will continue to incorporate without pause the detailed economy and daily life countermeasures that we have promoted through four supplementary budgets so far. We will continue to give top priority to doing everything possible to at once strengthen our countermeasures against the new coronavirus and revitalize our city’s economy. At the same time, we will move firmly ahead with putting in place preparations for initiating the vaccinations that will protect all of your lives. In order to reclaim our normal daily lives even one day faster, let us cooperate and work together to overcome the difficulties that we all face together. I ask you all for your continued assistance. Hayashi Fumiko Mayor of Yokohama Obtaining Medical Treatment If You Are Experiencing “Cold-Like” Symptoms Please be sure to contact a facility before going there for treatment or advice. If you have a regular doctor Call your doctor and seek his or her advice. If a new coronavirus infection is suspected, your doctor will examine you or advise you where you should go. If you do not have a regular doctor If you are not able to contact your regular doctor If you have a fever, cough or sore throat Kanagawa Prefecture Medical Reservation Center 9:00 - 21:00 Tel: 0570-048914 Some IPs and phones may not connect to the above number; in that case Tel: 045-285-1015 Or, LINE official account “Personal Support for New Coronavirus Measures” “Add friends” by scanning this QR code ●If you had close contact with an infected person (including suspected) ●If you have symptoms other than fever, cough or sore throat ●If you have been alerted by the COVID-19 Contact-Confirming App (COCOA) Yokohama New Coronavirus Call Center (consultation center for returnees from abroad and individuals in contact with infected persons) Available 24 hours Tel: 045-550-5530 Fax: 045-846-0500 ※ Available for consultation on general matters in addition to treatment Medical institutions able to provide treatment after 17:00 or on holidays are limited. If you are seriously ill or are getting worse, be sure to contact a medical institution in advance and ask to be seen on an emergency basis. If a situation requires urgent treatment, please call 119 for an ambulance. Revisions to Water Charges Average 12% Increase Effective July 1, 2021 Yokohama’s waterworks are supported by the water charges paid by all Yokohama households. However, with the increased diffusion of water conservation equipment and other factors, the volume of water being consumed has fallen, and with it, the revenue received from water charges is also declining. Since the last revision of our water charges in 2001, we have worked to reduce our expenses by improving the efficiency of our operations through outsourcing some operations to the private sector and other measures. However, if we are to renew or replace aging water pipes and water facilities, continue our steady measures to reinforce water pipes and facilities against major future earthquakes, and otherwise continue to provide Yokohama citizens with reliable city water, it has become necessary to raise our water charges. Water Charges Revisions ①Shift to rate structure based on water pipe diameter At present the basic water charge is the same regardless of the diameter of the water meter pipe. Going forward, basic water charges will be set depending on different meter diameters. As it is possible to use more water at one time with water meters with larger pipe diameter, we will be asking our customers to help support capital investment in our waterworks and the expense of maintaining and monitoring our waterworks in accordance with the diameter of their water piping. In addition, we will be setting different rates for different diameter piping in the case of metered water billings that are based on the amount of actual water used. ②Termination of basic water volume system At present, the basic water charge in Yokohama is set assuming a monthly basic water volume usage of 8m3 a month. This water rate is fixed even when actual water used is less than 8m3 a month. The revised system will replace the previous monthly basic water volume rates with a fair and easy to understand rate structure in which customers will pay one monthly basic water charge plus a variable fee that is based on the actual volume of the water they use. <Regarding the individual welfare water charge mitigation system> We will continue to mitigate the cost of the basic water charge for those in need. However, with the termination of the basic water volume system, we will be asking our customers to cover the additional fee based on the actual amount of water used themselves. You can find more information about the review of our water charge system and the revised rate structure on the City of Yokohama website. 横浜市 水道料金改定 Search New Water Charge Chart (Monthly/Net of Tax) ●Average percentage change: 12% ●Revision implementation timing: July 1, 2021 (for customers who were already using water services on or before June 30, the new charge chart will be applied to either their September or October meter reading). There will be no change to sewerage charge. Purpose and meter diameter Basic water charge Fee for water used (per 1m3) 1-8m3 9-10m3 11-20m3 21-30m3 31-50m3 51-100m3 101-300m3 301-1000m3 1001m3- General use 13㎜ ¥840 ¥4 ¥48 ¥177 ¥253 ¥301 ¥327 ¥358 ¥413 20㎜ ¥845 25㎜ ¥850 40㎜ ¥10,150 ¥25 ¥329 ¥364 ¥419 ¥463 50㎜ ¥10,500 ¥20 75㎜ ¥10,900 ¥15 100㎜ ¥12,000 ¥10 150㎜ ¥30,000 ¥30 200㎜ ¥42,000 ¥20 250㎜ ¥52,000 ¥10 Water for public baths ¥850 ¥4 ¥42 Increase in water charge for average water usage per month (net of tax) ※ Approximately 99% of customers use water meter with diameters between 13-25mm Water meter diameter Average volume of water use Increase in water charge after revision Water charge after revision 13㎜ 11m3 ＋¥111 ¥1,145 20㎜ 15m3 ＋¥192 ¥1,858 25㎜ 17m3 ＋¥235 ¥2,217 Please Use the Water Rate Calculation Tool You may check the change in your water charge using the simple water charge calculation tool available on the City of Yokohama website. 横浜市 水道料金計算 Search ※ A leaflet containing a chart for calculating your water charge will be distributed to all households in the city in March and April 2021. How to Read the “Notification Regarding Water and Sewage Use Volume” Water and Sewage fees are billed once every two months (billing includes consumption tax and other fees) SAMPLE (1) (2) (3) (4) (1) Meter diameter (2) Water use volume (2 months) You can use (1) and (2) to calculate your post-revision water charge using the simple water charge calculation tool on the City of Yokohama website. (3) Water charges (4) Sewage charges What is the “meter diameter?” It indicates the inner diameter of the meter pipe Diameter Water meter location Detached house example Apartment building example How Your Water Charges Are Used ~ Steadily Implementing Initiatives for the Future ~ Water Pipe Replacement and Earthquake Reinforcement There are approximately 9,300 km of water pipes in the City of Yokohama, and we are systematically replacing old piping and strengthening other existing piping against damage from earthquakes.※ In particular, we are accelerating the pace of replacing or reinforcing large diameter water mains that would have a particular impact on the city water supply if damaged. ※ Earthquake reinforcement is still pending for approximately 70 percent of city water mains. Upgrading the Nishiya Purification Plant The Nishiya Purification Plant will be upgraded over the next 20 years to reinforce it against earthquakes, compensate for the deteriorating quality of water sources, and increase water purification and waste-water treatment volume. The plant will remain in operation during the upgrade. Disaster Countermeasures We are strengthening our countermeasures against natural disasters, including increasingly frequent downpours. Effective Feb. 1 a dedicated dial-in number will be available for inquiries about the revised water charges Tel: 045-849-6128 (Daily 08:30 - 17:15 (including Saturday, Sunday and holidays) Fax: 045-848-4281 Please consult A mechanism has been put in place to provide payment relief for customers having difficulty paying their water bills due to the impact of the new coronavirus or other factors. 【Inquiries】 Inquiries concerning revised water charges Revised water charges dedicated dial-in number Tel: 045-849-6128 Fax: 045-848-4281 Inquiries concerning payment relief and general questions about water services Waterworks Bureau Customer Service Center Tel: 045-847-6262 Fax: 045-848-4281 Inquiries about this article Waterworks Bureau Business Planning Division Tel: 045-671-3127 Fax: 045-212-1157