Jan 24 (Nikkei) - Japan will likely expand a quasi-state of emergency to over 30 of the country's 47 prefectures to curb the rapid spread of coronavirus infections after 18 prefectures asked to be included under the measure, senior government officials said Monday.
The government will formalize the decision on Tuesday after consulting with an advisory panel of experts over its plan to adopt restrictions on restaurants and bars in more areas, in addition to Tokyo and 15 prefectures which already have been put under the restrictions.
The envisaged addition comes as Japan continues to battle surging COVID-19 cases due to the highly transmissible Omicron strain. The nation on Saturday reported a record 54,576 new infections.
The 18 prefectures seeking quasi-emergency curbs include the northernmost main island of Hokkaido as well as Osaka, Kyoto and Hyogo in western Japan, along with Fukuoka in the southwest.
The rest are Aomori, Yamagata, Fukushima, Ibaraki, Tochigi, Ishikawa, Nagano, Shizuoka, Shimane, Okayama, Saga, Oita and Kagoshima.
"We will respond with well-balanced measures based on the nature of the Omicron strain by enhancing the procedural flow of prevention, detection and early treatment," Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told a session of the House of Representatives Budget Committee on Monday.
Separately, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno confirmed at a press conference a number of prefectures requested the central government put them under a quasi-state of emergency, adding the government will respond swiftly.
A quasi-state of emergency was in effect in 16 prefectures as of Monday. If the central government approves the latest request, about two-thirds of the country's prefectures would be able to impose tighter anti-virus measures, allowing their governors to ask restaurants and bars to close early and stop or limit the serving of alcohol.
Source: ANNnewsCH
