Asia toughens its fight against virus

NEW CASES: FRESH EFFORT TO SUPPRESS PANDEMIC

Japan to declare a state of emergency in Tokyo after record number of infections.

Countries in Asia were stepping up their fight against the coronavirus again yesterday in a fresh effort to suppress an illness they had previously tamed, joining Europe in imposing new curbs.

Japan was set to declare a state of emergency in Tokyo ahead of the release of figures expected to show a record number of infections, while China reported its highest single-day case number since July.

It comes a day after the world clocked up a record number of deaths in a single day and the European Union approved a second vaccine.

There was also no slowing of the spread in North America where Canada was forced to order its first curfew of the pandemic in a push to halt a second wave.

The global outbreak shows no signs of abating, with more than 1.8 million people known to have died worldwide from 86 million confirmed cases.

Japan’s outbreak has not been as severe as those in Europe and the US but yesterday, the government was forced to announce new restrictions in the capital region that it said would last a month, primarily targeting restaurants and bars.

The curbs will be far less strict than the harsh lockdowns seen in other parts of the world. Businesses are being asked to stop serving alcohol by 7pm and close an hour later and residents have been requested to avoid nonessential outings after 8pm.

Local media said Tokyo reported more than 2 400 new cases yesterday, shattering the previous record of 1 591 logged a day earlier.

The minister in charge of Japan’s pandemic response warned that Tokyo’s medical system was “stretched thin”.

In neighbouring China, authorities reported 63 new infections yesterday as authorities tried to stamp out an outbreak in a city of 11 million near Beijing.

The government in the city of Shijiazhuang in China’s northern Hebei province has imposed school closures, cut travel links and begun mass testing as cases spike.

“I did the nucleic acid test last night, but don’t have the results yet. Without it, I can’t leave the city,” one young woman told state broadcaster CCTV.

One district in the city has been sealed off while major highways leading into the area have been closed and intercity bus travel halted.

Experts see mass vaccinations as the best route back to normality, but the first roll-outs have coincided with alarming spikes in deaths and caseloads across many parts of the world.

The latest global numbers make for grim reading. On Wednesday, a record 15 769 Covid-19 deaths were recorded around the world in the space of 24 hours.