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The coronavirus emergency in Tokyo will extend to neighboring areas and the western city of Osaka.
The coronavirus emergency in Tokyo will extend to neighboring areas and the western city of Osaka.
As the number of infections hit a record high during the Tokyo Olympics, Japan will expand Tokyo’s coronavirus emergency to neighboring areas and the western city of Osaka on Friday.
The government team approved plans to place Saitama, Kanagawa and Chiba, and Osaka in a state of emergency from Monday to August 31. The measures already implemented in Tokyo and the southern island of Okinawa will be extended until the end of August.
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga is scheduled to officially announce these measures later on Friday. The other five regions, including Hokkaido, Kyoto, Hyogo and Fukuoka, will be subject to less stringent emergency restrictions.
The number of reported cases in Tokyo hit a record high for three consecutive days, including 3,865 on Thursday. Since last week, the number of cases has doubled, and officials have warned that they may reach 4,500 cases per day in two weeks.
Officials said that 2,995 people were hospitalized, about half of the current 6,000-bed capacity, and some hospitals are already full. In addition, more than 10,000 people are isolated at home or in designated hotels, and nearly 5,600 people are waiting at home. The health center decides where they will receive treatment.
At a meeting of government experts on Friday, Japan’s Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare Norihisa Tamura stated that despite being in a state of emergency for two weeks, the surge in Tokyo’s epidemic is “a worrying development unlike anything we have seen before.” .
Nationwide, Japan reported 10,687 confirmed cases on Thursday, exceeding 10,000 for the first time. Since the beginning of the pandemic, it has recorded 15,166 deaths caused by Covid-19, including 2,288 in Tokyo.
Data from the Ministry of Health and Welfare of Japan shows that the number of cases and deaths in Japan has been lower than that of many other countries, but its 7-day rolling average is growing. There are now 28 people per 100,000 people in the country and 88 people per 100,000 people in Tokyo. . According to data from Johns Hopkins University, this compares to 18.5 in the United States, 48 in the United Kingdom, and 2.8 in India.
The focus of the emergency measures is to ban drinking in restaurants and karaoke bars and shorten business hours, but because people are only required to stay at home and work, they are not effective. Many people ignore these measures at a time when the more contagious strain of the delta virus is spreading.
Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike pointed out that adults in their 30s or younger have dominated the most recent cases and reminded them to follow basic anti-viral measures, including wearing masks and avoiding parties.
As of Thursday, 27% of the Japanese population has been fully vaccinated. The proportion of elderly fully vaccinated is 71.5%.
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