Tokyo, South Korea see record number of new virus cases
Resurgence in Asia could hamper prospects for a broader reopening needed to boost economic recovery, stymie ‘travel bubble’ plans and fan worries over the Olympic Games
Daily coronavirus cases in Tokyo and South Korea hit fresh highs on Wednesday.
South Korea tightened social distancing rules and Tokyo said officials would meet on Thursday to discuss if the city needs to raise its infection alert to the highest level.
“We’re in a crisis where there are pessimistic views that predict another nationwide transmission,” South Korea’s Vice Health Minister Kang Do-tae told a meeting.
A resurgence in Asia could hamper prospects for a broader reopening needed to boost economic recovery, stymie “travel bubble” plans, and fan public worries in Japan which is preparing to host the Olympic games next year.
South Korea, which eased social distancing rules last month, reported 313 new cases on Wednesday, the highest since August.
“Infections are now occurring simultaneously in every corner of our society, real life situations, unlike the past when there were large outbreaks from a specific place or group,” Kang said.
From Thursday, the country will ban public gatherings of 100 people or more, limit religious services and audiences at sporting events to 30% capacity, and require high-risk facilities including clubs and karaoke bars to broaden distance among guests.
South Korea’s KOSPI rose 0.37% on Wednesday, though worries about new cases capped gains. Japan’s Nikkei share average fell 0.76%.
MSCI’S broadest index of Asia-pacific shares outside Japan was litle changed as fresh restrictions overshadowed relief over coronavirus vaccine developments.
In Tokyo, new daily cases hit a record 493. The Nikkei business daily reported the Tokyo government was considering raising its infection alert to the highest of four levels as early as Thursday.
Chief government spokesman Katsunobu Kato said officials would meet on Thursday to discuss raising the alert level, adding different regions in the country required different measures because contagion conditions varied.
“A monitoring meeting of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government last week recognised that this was the beginning of a rapid spread of infection, a serious situation requiring extreme vigilance,” he said. Taiwan, which reported two new cases on Wednesday, both imported, also announced new measures.
The country will mandate greater use of masks and require almost all people entering the island to have a negative COVID-19 test.
The Tokyo metropolitan government said there were 493 new cases, surpassing the city’s previous high of 472 recorded on Aug. 1 during the peak of Japan’s earlier wave of infections.
The new cases came as International Olympic Commitee President Thomas Bach ended a visit to Japan to discuss how to safely host the games, which were postponed a year until next July due to the pandemic.
Japan has seen a steady climb in new cases nationwide in recent weeks, and experts have urged officials to step up preventive measures.
Wednesday’s surge, from 293 the day before, raised alarm among experts ahead of an upcoming three-day weekend. With new cases in some other areas also rising to new highs, Japan’s national increase is expected to top 2,000 on Wednesday for a new high. Japan Medical Association President Toshio Nakagawa urged Tokyo residents to stay home over the weekend.
“Please do not get used to the coronavirus. Please do not underestimate the coronavirus. I ask everyone to have a three-day autumn weekend of patience,” Nakagawa said, urging everyone to avoid non-essential outings.
He cautioned that another state of emergency may be needed if infections continue rising.
Government officials currently are not taking any specific measures to scale back business activity.
Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike expressed concern about the rising number of elderly patients, but merely asked residents to stick to their usual preventative measures.
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga this week said the situation does not currently require another state of emergency and there is no need to scale back or suspend domestic tourism and dining campaigns promoted by the government.