Japan PM Considers Emergency Status as Covid-19 Cases Soar

Translator

Ririe Ranggasari

Editor

Petir Garda Bhwana

Senin, 4 Januari 2021 12:38 WIB

Yoshihide Suga speaks during a news conference following his confirmation as Prime Minister of Japan in Tokyo, Japan September 16, 2020. Suga won a LDP leadership race by a landslide on Monday and faces a number of challenges in office, including tackling COVID-19 while reviving a battered economy and dealing with a rapidly aging society. Carl Court/Pool via REUTERS

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Japan Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said on Monday, January 4, that the government is considering declaring a state of emergency for the Tokyo Metro area as Covid-19 cases keep soaring, threatening to burden the nation's medical system.

On December 31, 2020, Japan recorded 4,520 new cases, mostly in Tokyo and three neighboring prefectures. The situation prompts an emergency declaration from the national government.

"Even during the three days of the New Year’s holidays, cases didn’t go down in the greater Tokyo area," Suga said on New Year's eve. "We felt that a stronger message was needed."

Suga had previously rejected this idea, saying that implementing a national emergency could jeopardize Japan's economy.

For now, the Tokyo government is placing a, 8:00 p.m. curfew on business hours for restaurants and karaoke establishments, earlier than the previous curfew of 10:00 p.m. Meanwhile, establishments providing alcoholic beverages must close up at 7:00 p.m.

Last month, Japan put a temporary ban on non-resident foreign nationals from entering the country, after a new variant of the coronavirus, which is more infectious, was detected.

Also Read: Japan Confirms New Covid-19 Strain; Halts Foreign Tourist Entry

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