Japan plans to expand COVID-19 emergency beyond Tokyo

ANKARA

Japan expects to expand its state of emergency to other parts of the country following a spike in COVID-19 cases, the country’s prime minister said on Tuesday, according to local media.

Yoshihide Suga informed his party leaders about his expected decision to expand the state of emergency to other provinces in western Japan, Kyodo News Agency reported.

“There are regions [in the country], including Osaka, that has seen a spike in infections, so we will consider whether to expand the area [under a state of emergency],” the agency quoted Suga as saying.

On Thursday, the prime minister declared a state of emergency in the capital Tokyo and three other provinces after the city reported 2,447 infections in a single day -- the biggest daily spike in infections since the outbreak began in the country on Jan. 16, 2020.

Provincial governors of the Aichi and Gifu provinces also plan to request the central government to include the two central Japanese provinces into the fresh state of emergency.

The state of emergency empowers provincial governors to order citizens to stay home and restrict timing at eateries.

It is the second time that Japan has declared a state of emergency to stem the spread of coronavirus.

Earlier, the state of emergency was imposed in April until May last year.

Japan has reported 295,054 infections including over 3,901 deaths since the outbreak, according to the latest figures from the US-based Johns Hopkins University.