Hello and welcome to the coverage of today’s coronavirus. I am Kate Lyons and I will kick things off.
Today we start with news about Asia, where different countries are investigating the fear of a fourth wave of the virus.
South Korea will recall the ban on nightclubs, karaoke bars and other entertainment facilities at night, authorities said Friday after the number of new coronavirus cases increased.
“Signs of a fourth wave of epidemics we are trying to pursue are getting closer and stronger,” Chung said at a daily meeting on the pandemic.
Premier Chung Sye-kyun announced the curbs, which go into effect on Monday for three weeks, after the daily number of new cases climbed to a three-month high in recent days.
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported 671 new cases for Thursday, a day after the daily score reached its highest level since early January, with clusters developing from churches, pubs and gyms, mostly in the greater Seoul area.
Meanwhile in JapanTokyo has asked Japan’s central government for permission to impose emergency measures to curb the increase in a rapidly spreading and more contagious coronavirus variant, just over three months before the start of the Olympics.
Tokyo’s move follows Osaka in western Japan, which declared a medical emergency after its hospitals were overwhelmed with new cases.
Tokyo, which only emerged from a state of emergency on March 21, reported 545 cases on Thursday. Koike said she was concerned about the rapid spread of the new variant, especially one initially detected in Britain.
“It will be a matter of time before Tokyo finds itself in a similar situation to Osaka,” Koike said.