Coronavirus cases rise in Japan's major cities

Nov 08 (NHK) - Officials in Japan are reporting more than 1,000 new coronavirus cases for the third consecutive day.

The surge in infections is especially high in the Tokyo and Osaka metropolitan areas and the prefectures of Kanagawa and Aichi.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government announced 294 new cases on Saturday. It's the third day in a row that the daily number of confirmed cases has exceeded 200.

Infection numbers have also jumped in Hokkaido, northern Japan, where 187 new cases were reported on Saturday. The prefecture's coronavirus task force has raised the alert level to "Stage 3" on a scale of one to five.

It's also asking that, until November 27th, bars and nightclubs in the entertainment district of the main city of Sapporo close at 10:00 PM and that restaurants stop serving alcohol by the same time. Businesses that comply will receive subsidies.

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