Society

Tokyo under 4th state of emergency from Monday

Jul 12 (NHK) - Japan's capital enters a fourth coronavirus state of emergency on Monday. The measure will last throughout the Olympics and end on August 22.

Metropolitan government officials are again requesting restaurants and bars to stop serving alcohol and offering karaoke. The officials are also asking people in the capital to refrain from non-essential outings and travel.

But recently, more people are going out in Tokyo, especially at night. On Saturday evening, the number of people around Shibuya's scramble crossing was up nearly 50 percent from last weekend.

Tokyo reported 614 new infections on Sunday, up 96 from a week ago.

New daily cases in the capital have been up week-on-week for 22 straight days.

The number of patients in serious condition was 61. Serious cases increased among people in their 40s and 50s, but stabilized among people in their 60s and above.

Experts attribute these trends to the vaccination drive for the elderly. Inoculations for people in their 40s and 50s have not made as much progress.

Meanwhile, a senior government official said municipalities will start accepting applications for documents to certify coronavirus vaccinations, from July 26. These documents are more commonly known as vaccine passports.

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