Panel Approves Quasi-Emergency for 3 Prefectures
An advisory panel of experts has approved the Japanese government’s plan to declare a quasi-emergency for three prefectures that are battling a surge in coronavirus infections.
The panel met on Friday morning to discuss the restrictions for Okinawa, Yamaguchi, and Hiroshima prefectures.
The minister in charge of coronavirus measures, Yamagiwa Daishiro, told the panel that the infection situation and the strain on medical services in the prefectures are at level 2 on the government’s 4-level scale.
He added that they also posted the highest numbers of new cases per 100,000 people among Japan’s 47 prefectures during the past week, indicating a rapid rise in infections.
Yamagiwa said that if the situation remains unchanged, medical services could become overburdened in the near future.
He said that in view of the need to quickly contain infections, the government wants to impose the targeted restrictions in the three prefectures from Sunday through the end of this month.
Yamagiwa also said the government will strengthen the measures by allowing prefectural governors to suspend the serving of alcohol at local dining and drinking facilities at their discretion.
The government plans to formalize the plan at a meeting of its coronavirus task force later in the day after the Diet has been briefed.
If implemented as planned, the measure would be the first of its kind in Japan since September. It would also be the first to be imposed by the administration of Prime Minister Kishida Fumio.
