Three Japanese prefectures in Kyoto, Osaka and Hyogo will have to ask the central government to lift the state of emergency for the coronavirus pandemic in western areas by the end of the month, before the March 7 end date, according to van inform officials on Monday.
Prefecture governors will hold an online meeting on Tuesday with economic revitalization minister Yasutoshi Nishimura, who is leading the country’s response to the pandemic.
The governor of another prefecture, Aichi, in central Japan, said he had already made a similar request to the central government.
The state of emergency, the second Japanese against the pandemic, was initially declared on January 7 for a month, covering 11 prefectures that also include Tokyo and its nearby prefectures. It was later extended until March 7 to 10 of the prefectures.
Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike is cautious in raising the state of emergency in the capital, which is still experiencing a “serious” infection.
Koike also said he plans to hold an online meeting on Tuesday with the governors of the three nearby prefectures of Saitama, Chiba and Kanagawa.
Kyoto, Osaka and other prefectures wanting to lift the emergency have cited improvements in the number of hospital beds available for patients with COVID-19 and the slower rate of disinfection.
“New cases of infection have remained at double-digit levels for days. (The state of emergency) should be eliminated by the end of this month, as we expect the number of hospitalized patients to fall even more so, ”Aichi Governor Hideaki Omura told a news conference.
Osaka Governor Hirofumi Yoshimura said his prefecture would discuss antivirus measures coordinated with neighboring Kyoto and Hyogo prefectures on Tuesday before filing their official petitions. Gifu prefecture, adjacent to Aichi, also suggested that it would remain the same.
Kyoto Governor Takatoshi Nishiwaki said that even if the state of emergency was lifted, the prefecture would continue to ask restaurants and bars to shorten working hours.
Japan has seen declining new daily coronavirus infections, but health ministry officials said last week the reduction was not enough to alleviate concerns about medical system stress.
Tokyo, which remains the hardest hit by Japan’s 47 prefectures, saw a drop in new cases, with 178 complaints on Monday, the first time the count has fallen below 200 since Nov. 24 last year.
The count raised the accumulated cases of the Japanese capital to 109,912.
However, the rate of infections among the elderly, considered at higher risk of developing severe symptoms, has increased, with daily mortality in the capital often adding up to double digits.
