Japan’s Hokkaido declares emergency state again as virus infections grow
09:17, 13 April 2020
TOKYO. KAZINFORM - Japan's northernmost main island of Hokkaido issued a further declaration of a state of emergency on Sunday, following one issued previously in late February, after seeing the pace of infections picking up, Kyodo reports.
In Tokyo, the total number of virus infections topped 2,000 as the capital and six other prefectures experienced their first weekend under a state of emergency the government declared, urging residents to refrain from nonessential outings and some businesses to shut.
On Sunday, 166 new coronavirus cases were confirmed in Tokyo, the metropolitan government said, bringing the total to 2,068. On Saturday, 197 new coronavirus cases were confirmed, a record daily increase for the fourth straight day.
In a bid to prevent a further escalation of the pandemic, on April 7 Prime Minister Shinzo Abe declared a monthlong state of emergency in Tokyo, Chiba, Kanagawa and Saitama in the east, and Osaka, Hyogo and Fukuoka in the west.