Shrine prepares blessings as Tokyo lockdown considered

Staff members wearing protective face masks and shields, prepare to sell lucky charms on the first business day of the New Year at the Kanda Myojin Shinto shrine, which is typically frequented by worshippers seeking good luck and prosperous business, amid the Covid19 disease outbreak in Tokyo.

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga yesterday said the Government would consider declaring a state of emergency for the Greater Tokyo metropolitan area as coronavirus cases climbed and strained the country’s medical system.

The capital, Tokyo, and three neighbouring prefectures have sought an emergency declaration from the national government. The region accounted for more than half of the nationwide cases yesterday.

Suga has so far resisted those calls, mindful of the potential damage to the economy.

If declared, it would be the second time parts of Japan have entered a state of emergency over the Covid19 pandemic. The first lasted for more than a month.

Japan has relied on voluntary closures and travel restrictions rather than the sort of rigid lockdown measures seen elsewhere in the world.