May 07 (NHK) - The Japanese government is to call on companies in Tokyo and 12 prefectures that are on a special coronavirus alert to reduce by at least 70 percent the number of their employees traveling to work.
Thursday marks exactly one month since the government declared a state of emergency in Tokyo and six prefectures, including Osaka.
Prime Minister Abe Shinzo has since expanded the emergency nationwide, as well as extend the state of emergency till the end of the month, instead of the initially planned May 6.
On Wednesday, Abe appeared in an online program and reiterated plans to decide whether to lift the declaration after hearing from experts around mid-May.
He said he will ask experts to set criteria on which to base his decision.
Meanwhile, the minister in charge with of the coronavirus response commended the 70 to 80 percent decline in the number of visitors at sightseeing spots during the weeklong spring holidays, which ended on Wednesday.
Economic Revitalization Minister Nishimura Yasutoshi, however, noted that he sees no game-changing trends in the number of newly confirmed infections in Tokyo in the past seven days.
He asked prefectures on the special alert to continue to keep measures in place.
The government is to analyze in detail the effects of calls by central and local governments to refrain from nonessential outings and hometown visits during the spring break.
It will also urge companies to have at least 70 percent of their employees work from home to reduce human-to-human contacts.
