He The Japanese government is about to end its state of emergency by coronavirus Friday in five prefectures, a week ahead of schedule, after a dramatic drop in new cases across the country.
Emergency measures, including requests to close bars and restaurants at 8 p.m., in Osaka, Kyoto, Hyogo, Aichi and Gifu prefectures are expected to be eliminated, the report said. Kyodo news agency government sources. But they will remain in place in Tokyo and the neighboring prefectures of Kanagawa, Saitama and Chiba.
Officials will make a decision on the possible exit of Fukuoka from the state of emergency after reviewing the availability of hospital beds in the southwestern prefecture, Kyodo said.
The state of emergency, Japan’s second since the start of the pandemic, began in 11 of the country’s 47 prefectures on January 7 and was extended for another month until March 7. Tochigi, in northern Tokyo, has already been withdrawn.
While the Japanese authorities do not have the legal powers to impose restrictions on companies or individuals, requests to shorten opening hours and prevent non-essential departures appear to be bearing fruit. Companies have been encouraged to adopt remote work and the limitation of 5,000 attendances at major events, such as concerts and sports accessories.
Japan registered 1,065 new cases of Covid-19 on Thursday, according to public broadcaster NHK, well below the daily peak of nearly 8,000 on January 8th. Seventy-four deaths were attributed to the virus on the same day, from a high of 121 in early February.
The government hopes to lift the state of emergency in the four remaining prefectures as planned on March 7, NHK added.
Health experts said the removal of most restrictions should not be taken as a sign that life is returning to normal. “There is a danger that you may send the wrong message that everything is fine now,” Toshio Nakagawa, head of the Japan Medical Association, said on Thursday.