Okinawa imposes state of emergency as coronavirus cases spike

Aug 02, 2020 | News On Japan

Aug 02, 2020 (republicworld.com) - Japanâ€™s Okinawa island region has declared a state of emergency from August 1 to August 15, because of increasing COVID 19 cases.

Because of increasing COVID 19 cases in the island region of Okinawa Japan, the administration has imposed a state of emergency to curb the virus. The region has declared a state of emergency from August 1 to August 15. People in the popular tourist destination were asked to stay inside their homes to curb the contagious virus. Okinawa witnessed 71 new cases of coronavirus on 31 July, this increase has brought the total number of infected people to 395 in the region. The majority of the infected persons in total cases are from US forces which accounts for 248. There are around 20,000 US Marines in Okinawa.

According to media reports Governor of Okinawa Prefecture Denny Tamaki has asked residents to avoid non-essential outings. He also requested that eateries in the city of Naha limit opening hours between 5 am and 10 pm local time. The measures, however, are not mandatory. While talking to media persons Okinawa Governor informed about declaring a state of emergency â€œWe're seeing an explosive spread of infections. We declare a state of emergencyâ€, Governor reportedly said.

Last month Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki flew to Tokyo to call on the US ambassador and representatives of the Japanese government to halt the transfer of any more US military personnel to the prefecture amid a significant outbreak of the coronavirus in US bases.

Later authorities of Okinawa have demanded an explanation from the US military over new clusters found at the Marine Corps Air Station Futenma and Camp Hansen and Okinawa Governor Tamaki has urged US officials to step up preventive measures to help curb further spread of the disease.

Source: ANNnewsCH

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