State of Emergency until March 7th for 10 prefectures
Regarding the state of emergency due on the 7th of this month, the government will lift only Tochigi prefecture on the 2nd, and 10 prefectures such as Tokyo and Osaka will extend it by one month until the 7th of next month. As the deadline for the declaration of emergency based on the Act on Special Measures for New Coronavirus is approaching on the 7th of this month, Prime Minister Suga discussed the handling of the declaration with Minister for Economic Revitalization Nishimura and Minister of Health, Labor, and Welfare Tamura on the night of the 1st. "The number of infected people is declining, but I think we need to be vigilant for a while," he told the group.
Of the 11 prefectures currently declared, the government will lift Tochigi prefecture as the number of newly infected people and the medical care provision system are improving, while 10 prefectures such as Tokyo and Osaka will be released next month. It is a policy to extend it by one month.
Then, we will continue to analyze the infection status in the target area of the declaration, and if the improvement is confirmed, we will cancel it even before the deadline.
On the 2nd, the government showed this policy to the "Advisory Committee" made up of infectious disease experts and asked for their opinions, and then Prime Minister Suga also attended the House Steering Committee of both Houses of Representatives to report and ask questions. It will be officially decided by the countermeasures headquarters on the night of the 2nd. Then, Prime Minister Suga will hold a press conference to explain the reasons for extending the declaration and will continue to call for cooperation in shortening the business hours of restaurants and refraining from going out unnecessarily.
Press conference to Prime Minister Suga tonight 7 o'clock 40 minutes prospect
The government opened a headquarters for 2 days 7:00 pm Tour of the new coronavirus, Prime Minister Suga has announced the press conference to prospect for 40 minutes at 7:00.
At a press conference, Prime Minister Suga explained that Tochigi Prefecture would cancel the state of emergency, which is due on the 7th of this month, and that 10 prefectures such as Tokyo and Osaka would extend it by one month. It seems to call for cooperation.
Source: https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20210202/k10012844771000.html