Japan announced Saturday that it is studying new emergency protocols as coronavirus cases continue to rise.
Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura said a decision will be made after government officials meet with the country’s top health experts, according to Reuters.
“The national government and the three governors shared the view that the situation in the Tokyo area is getting worse, so an emergency declaration may be needed,” Nishimura said at a recent meeting with the governor. of Tokyo, Yuriko Koike, Reuters reported.
Under the proposed measure, bars serving alcohol will close at 7pm and karaoke restaurants and bars will close at 8pm. according to the media.
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has been reluctant to reinstate the call for a state of national emergency, which was originally introduced at the start of the pandemic in April.
Hospitalizations in Japan have risen as a result of the latest surge in coronavirus cases and an infection control manager at a local Tokyo hospital, Fumie Sakamoto, expects it to get worse.
“The Japanese government has not done much to control the infection,” Sakamoto told Reuters. “It simply came to our notice then [infection] the numbers will increase in the coming days and the declaration of emergency should have taken place earlier, probably during December or November. “
Japan has reported a total of 239,068 coronavirus cases and 3,342 virus-related deaths since the start of the pandemic, according to Johns Hopkins.