Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe puts off his protective face mask as he speaks to media on Japan's response to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak at his official residence in Tokyo, Japan, May 1, 2020, in this photo taken by Kyodo.
Japan extended its nationwide state of emergency until May 31, with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe saying the country’s coronavirus measures need more time to reduce infection rates.
Abe told a task force Monday that experts would reexamine the situation around May 14 and that the government was prepared to remove some areas from the state of emergency early, if possible. Abe had indicated last week that he would probably prolong the measures beyond the original May 6 end date.
"Japan is starting to see some positive results,” Abe said in televised remarks. "But with a considerable number of people infected at this point, the decline in infections is by no means at a sufficient level.”
While Japan hasn’t experienced the surge in cases seen in some countries, experts have warned of the risks of letting its guard down too soon, as limited testing makes it hard to assess the scale of infections. The state of emergency enables regional governors to request businesses to close down and ask people to stay at home as much as possible.
The 13 prefectures with a special alert status, including Tokyo and Osaka, will need to adhere to current measures to reduce interpersonal contact by about 80%, Abe said. Abe said he’s asking the other 34 prefectures to take gradual measures to balance both preventing the spread of infection and maintaining social and economic activity.
Japan had about 14,900 confirmed Covid-19 cases as of Sunday, the lowest official tally among Group of Seven leading democracies. Tokyo, -- the nation’s worst-hit region -- announced 91 new cases, compared with a peak of 201 some two weeks earlier. More than 4,560 people have been infected in the capital.
The number of new confirmed coronavirus cases in the world’s third-largest economy is on a downward trend, raising hopes that the government measures have had some effect.
