Japan’s hard-hit regions may slide back to Covid-19 state of emergency
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Osaka and several other prefectures have been in a "quasi-emergency" state for two weeks.
PHOTO: AFP
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TOKYO (REUTERS) - A recent surge in Covid-19 cases could see major parts of Japan slide back into states of emergency with authorities in Tokyo and Osaka looking at renewed curbs to stop the spread.
Osaka and several other prefectures have been in a "quasi-emergency" state for two weeks, with targeted measures aimed at controlling the spread of Covid-19.
"The fruits of these measures should be appearing now, but when we look at the number of infections from yesterday, it was 1,220 cases, which is a record high," Hirofumi Yoshimura told reporters in comments carried online on Monday (April 19).
"Medical services are also in a dire state, and we've decided that we need a state of emergency. We need stronger measures such as those that would stop the movement of people," he said, adding that Japan's third-most populous prefecture would make the formal request to the government on Tuesday.
In a TV Asahi poll published Monday, just over half of respondents said they believed the "quasi-emergency" restrictions were ineffective.
The new wave of infections complicates preparations for the Tokyo Olympic Games, which are due to start in July having already been postponed due to the global coronavirus outbreak last year.
Tokyo is also considering a state-of-emergency request, Governor Yuriko Koike told reporters late on Sunday. "Taking pre-emptive action is crucial right now," Koike said. Tokyo reported 543 new cases on Sunday, the 18th straight day of seven-day increases.
Asked about possible requests from Osaka and Tokyo, Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato, the government's top spokesman, said any such calls would need to be considered "swiftly."
Pfizer recently announced to an agreement to Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga's request to supply additional doses of the Covid-19 vaccine, with Japanese vaccination programme chief Taro Kono saying Japan would secure enough supply by the end of September to inoculate all people aged over 16.
The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is the only one approved in Japan.
Inoculations of Japan's sizeable elderly population began on April 12, but some experts cautioned that the general population may not have access to vaccination until late summer or even winter because of constrained supplies.
Japan was among the last major economies to begin Covid-19 inoculations when it started in mid-February, after domestic trials to ensure safety.
