Prime Minister of Japan, Yoshihide Suga, asked the Japanese people to wait a little longer in the state of emergency. (Image via CNN)

Suga: Please hold on a little longer

On Tuesday, the Japanese Government decided to prolong the state of emergency in Tokyo and nine more prefectures, including Osaka, Aichi, and Fukuoka, by one month, from previously 7 February to 7 March. The decision came as Japan's healthcare system and facilities are strained in spite of the decreasing novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases.

Speaking at a meeting of the Japanese Government's COVID-19 task force, the Prime Minister of Japan, Yoshihide Suga, stated that the state of emergency will still be imposed in 10 prefectures. The state of emergency will be lifted only in Tochigi on 7 February as the COVID-19 situation there has improved. Suga thanked the Japanese people for their cooperation, yet asked them to wait a little longer.

Under the state of emergency, the Japanese people should stay home and refrain from going out except for essential reasons, while restaurants and bars should cut their business hours. Moreover, businesses are asked to implement remote working or teleworking, and attendance at events is limited.

While this state of emergency is less strict than in 2020 as the schools are not closed down and businesses are only asked to cut their business hours, the policy seems to do its magic in suppressing the number of COVID-19 infections. On Monday, the capital of Japan reported 393 cases, the lowest in more than a month.

If the Government sees significant improvement, Suga hinted that the state of emergency might be lifted off even before 7 March. For Tokyo, it should be less than 500, and more hospital beds should be available. Unfortunately, the state of emergency will remain in Tokyo's neighboring prefectures, Chiba and Saitama, and Aichi, Gifu, Osaka, Kyoto, Hyogo, and Fukuoka prefectures. Okinawa, which was under consideration due to the COVID-19 outbreaks in remote islands, is left off the list. 

As the support for his administration is faltering and the criticism toward his COVID-19 response grows more strident, Suga is also struggling to contain the COVID-19 pandemic ahead of the upcoming Summer Olympics and Paralympics. When being asked about the possibility that the Tokyo Games will be held without any spectators, Suga only said that the safety and security of the event should be the top priority.

Source: https://bit.ly/3reByvQ