JAPAN EXTENDS STATE OF EMERGENCY TO MAY 31

New infections on the rise, says minister charge of virus response

THE prime minister yesterday extended a state of emergency over Covid-19 until the end of this month, as the government warned it was too soon to lift restrictions.

“I will extend the period of the state of emergency I declared on April 7 until May 31. The area covered is all prefectures in the nation,” Shinzo Abe said.

Abe declared a month-long state of emergency that initially covered the capital here and six other regions on April 7, later expanding it to the entire country.

It had been due to expire tomorrow, but the country’s minister for the virus response Yasutoshi Nishimura said earlier that new infections were growing.

“The number of new cases has declined, but unfortunately the decrease has not reached the targeted level,” said Nishimura.

“As the healthcare sector remains under pressure, we need continued cooperation from people.”

Japan’s outbreak remained comparatively small compared with those seen in parts of Europe and the United States, with more than 15,000 infections recorded and 510 deaths.

But the extension was backed by experts advising the government and regional governors, with concerns that a sudden spike in cases that would overwhelm healthcare systems remained possible.

The state of emergency fell far short of the harshest measures seen in parts of Europe and the US. It allowed local governors to urge people to stay at home and call on businesses to stay shut.

But officials could not compel citizens to comply, and there were no punishments for those who failed to do so.

The government was expected to urge residents in 13 high-risk prefectures, including Japan’s biggest cities, to continue cutting person-to-person contact by 80 per cent and exercise other strict social distancing measures.

Prefectures would be allowed to loosen restrictions on business closures and small gatherings, but residents would be asked not to travel outside their regions.

Abe said experts would review the situation around May 14, and measures could be lifted at that time depending on the situation in a given region.