Jul 01 (NHK) - Japan's health minister has expressed concern over an increase in the number of people who are out and about at night in Tokyo amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Tamura Norihisa attended a meeting of a panel of experts on Wednesday.
He said it is very alarming that the number of new infections nationwide has recently begun to increase slightly.
As for Okinawa, which is the only prefecture currently under a state of emergency, he said the number of new cases is on the decline. But he said the number of people going out at night is beginning to increase.
In Osaka, Tamura said the number of new infections has stopped falling or remains at the same level.
He added movement of people is increasing in parts of the prefecture.
In Tokyo, the minister said the number of people out and about at night has increased by 18 percent after a state of emergency expired on June 20. He also pinpointed a sharp increase in the number out late at night.
Tamura said that the situation is thought to be leading to an increase in the daily tallies of new cases in the capital.
He noted more people are out and about after 8 p.m. when bars and restaurants are urged to close. He said something must be done to solve the problem in order to contain the spread of infections.
Tamura said the occupancy rate of hospital beds, as well as the number of patients in serious condition, is rising slightly in Tokyo.
