As Japan coronavirus cases rise, Tokyo nudges PM Abe to declare state of emergency (updated)
03/04/2020 10:02
* Declaration would send "big message" - Tokyo governor
* Tokyo to step up messaging on social distancing
* Govt calls on regions to reserve hospital beds for severe
cases
* Interactive graphic tracking global spread of coronavirus:
Open
https://tmsnrt.rs/3aIRuz7 in an external browser
(Recasts throughout with Tokyo governor comments)
By Chang-Ran Kim
TOKYO, April 3 (Reuters) - Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike said
on Friday that Japan declaring a national state of coronavirus
emergency would send a "strong message" that could help dodge an
explosive outbreak, her most explicit nudge so far for the
government to make the call.
Amid growing clamour for tighter curbs on people's movements
to stem a rising tide of infections, the government has so far
been reluctant to pull the trigger, warning of the heavy damage
that could ensue in the world's third-biggest economy, already
close to recession.
Instead, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has urged school closures
and called on citizens to avoid unnecessary and non-urgent
gatherings and outings while preparing to roll out an economic
stimulus plan next week - even as he acknowledged the country
was barely avoiding a major jump in infections. urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL4N2BR11D
"If the country makes a move, it would send a strong message
to people," Tokyo Governor Koike said at a news conference. "If
that is coupled with the economic stimulus package being
prepared, it would give Tokyo a big boost" in dealing with the
epidemic, she said.
Japan has so far been spared the kind of explosive surge
seen in parts of Europe, the United States and elsewhere, with
about 2,800 cases and 73 deaths so far. Globally, coronavirus
cases surpassed 1 million on Thursday, while deaths have topped
50,000. urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL1N2BQ2S9
Declaring a state of emergency would give regional governors
legal authority to ask people to stay home and businesses to
close, but not to impose the kind of lockdowns seen in other
countries. In most cases, there are no penalties for ignoring
requests, and governors' pleas would be dependent on voluntary
public compliance - pressure for which would increase with an
emergency declaration.
Nobuhiko Okabe, director general of the Kawasaki City
Institute for Public Health, said judging the timing for
declaring a state of emergency was tough.
If issued too soon, it would have a big economic impact and
have a serious effect on society, but if too late, the number of
infected patients would rise, he said.
"This is not merely a question of numbers," he told Reuters
in an interview. "A balance of merits and demerits must be
considered."
UNTRACEABLE CASES, CLUSTERS
Tokyo has reported the highest number of infections in the
country with nearly 800 infections - a tiny count compared with
a core city population of nearly 14 million.
But experts are worried about the rise in the percentage of
cases that can't be traced. As of end-March, the health ministry
had counted 26 clusters of infections around the country.
Asked what further steps would be taken in the capital if
central government declared a state of emergency, Governor Koike
said a Tokyo-style "lockdown" would entail the same kinds of
pleas she was already making to residents.
These include working from home where possible and avoiding
outings to bars and nightclubs - advice that many residents have
yet to heed, though coffee chain Starbucks and clothing retailer
Uniqlo joined a string of other businesses in saying they would
shutter dozens of stores this weekend.
To help spread a sense of urgency, Koike said Tokyo would
begin using social media such as YouTube and TikTok to announce
daily infection numbers, with celebrities dispensing
public-service messages.
In the latest sign of concern about the growing strain the
virus was putting on Japan's healthcare system, the government
on Friday told the hardest-hit regions to save hospital beds for
severely ill patients, while keeping others with milder or no
symptoms at home or in hotels.
Until now Japan has been hospitalising all coronavirus
patients, regardless of whether they are asymptomatic or have
mild symptoms. But beds are already filling up in Tokyo and
threaten to elsewhere, experts said this week. urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL4N2BP0N9
Koike said Tokyo, for its part, would send people with light
or no symptoms - the majority of the 628 hospitalised with the
coronavirus as of Thursday - home or to hotels.
The capital was working with the government to secure
accommodations, she said, while Prime Minister Abe has said
utilising facilities that had been set up for the Summer Olympic
Games - now postponed by a year - was under consideration.
<^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Coronavirus threatens revival of Japan's deflationary nemesis
urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL4N2BQ091
What you need to know about the coronavirus right now
urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nVIRUS1
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^>
(Reporting by Chang-Ran Kim, Linda Sieg, Kiyoshi Takenaka and
Chris Gallagher; Editing by Kenneth Maxwell)
((ran.kim@thomsonreuters.com; +81-3-4563-2740))