The Japanese capital and three nearby prefectures have asked the national government to declare a state of emergency to curb the rising spread of the coronavirus pandemic.
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“In the name of valuing life, we have made this plea together,” the Tokyo government’s Yuriko Koike said after meeting with the coronavirus virus minister for three hours on Saturday, along with Saitama’s governors. , Chiba and Kanagawa.
Japan has recently seen an increase in cases of COVID-19, especially in urban areas. On New Year’s Eve, Tokyo recorded 1,337 cases daily.
From left come Saitama government Motohiro Ono, Chiba government Kensaku Morita, Japanese economy minister Yasutoshi Nishimura, Tokyo government Yuriko Koike and Kanagawa government, Yuji Kuroiwa, journalists in Tokyo to Tokyo and three nearby Japanese prefectures have the national government asked to declare “state of emergency” Saturday, January 2, 2021. (Muneyuki Tomari / Kyodo News via AP)
Concerns are mounting about the hosting of the Olympic Games, scheduled for July, with 11,000 Olympic athletes entering Japan, as well as tens of thousands of officials and media.
“Corona knows no calendar,” Koike said, referring to her concerns about the infection fueled by New Year’s celebrations.
“Hospitals are filling up, affecting medical care for all.”
The minister said both parties agreed that the situation was critical, but medical experts would be consulted before taking action.
Japan has never had an exclusion, but rather tries to juggle the need to keep the economy going with health risks. The warnings issued carry no fines.
The government also sent conflicting messages with a campaign to encourage discounted travel, although it was stopped.
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Premier Yoshihide Suga has been criticized for what some see as his mismanagement of the pandemic. Japan has so far had more than 3,500 deaths related to the virus.