Tokyo: Japan announced on Friday that it will coronavirus warning level in Tokyo to allow stricter measures to limit the rapid spread of a more contagious variant ahead of the Summer Olympics.
The national vaccination series in Japan has lagged behind and most people in the capital are still not vaccinated because infections have increased.
The increased status announced by Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga will enable the Tokyo governor to set shorter opening hours for pubs and restaurants, along with penalties for offenders and compensation for those who comply. The measures are due to start on Monday and continue until 11 May.
Many of Tokyo’s businesses are linked to nightlife and eateries, though they have recently spread to offices, aged care institutions and schools, experts say.
Suga has also raised the alert level for Kyoto in western Japan and the southern island of Okinawa Prefecture, where business has increased over the past few weeks. The new status there should continue until May 5, the end of Japan’s ‘Golden Week’ holiday, to discourage travel.
The alert status was raised on Monday for three other areas – Osaka, neighboring Hyogo and Miyagi in the north. Since the beginning of March, daily affairs have increased sharply, shortly after Japan scaled down a partial and non-binding state of emergency that began in January.
The move comes less than three weeks after the state of emergency for Tokyo was lifted, highlighting the difficulty of balancing antivirus measures and the economy. Suga’s government has been criticized for being too slow to impose antivirus measures out of a reluctance to further damage the pandemic economy.
Osaka announced a medical emergency after its hospitals were overwhelmed by new cases, and the Olympic torch relay moved there from public roads next week.
Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike, who on Thursday called on Suga’s government to increase the capital’s alert level, said it was concerned about the recent increase in virus cases and the possible impact of new variants. She urged residents to avoid unimportant travel and practice social distance. Koike is expected to issue an order at 8pm that bars and restaurants close
Just over 1 million people in Japan, or less than 1% of the population, received the first of two doses, and the increase in cases could cause further cancellations of Olympic events.
Vaccinations began in mid-February for medical workers. Elderly people plan to take their shots next week until the end of June. The rest of the population will probably have to wait until around July, making it nearly impossible for Japan to achieve so-called herd immunity before the Tokyo Olympics begin on July 23.
Source: Telangana Today