Tokyo area COVID numbers showing signs of rising, health min says -Kyodo (updated)
12/03/2021 01:39
(Updates with Tokyo coronavirus numbers, background)
TOKYO, March 12 (Reuters) - Coronavirus cases in the Greater
Tokyo area are showing signs of creeping up, Japanese Health
Minister Norihisa Tamura said on Friday, according to Kyodo
News, raising questions about whether a state of emergency could
be lifted on schedule on March 21.
The Japanese government last week extended the emergency
declaration for Tokyo and three neighbouring prefectures by 14
days, saying COVID-19 cases hadn't fallen far enough, while new,
more infectious coronavirus variants posed a threat.
urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL2N2L23LP
Restrictions such as shorter business hours for restaurants
and bars have helped diminish new cases in Tokyo to roughly a
tenth of a peak of 2,520 cases on Jan. 7. But the numbers are
far from Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike's target of bringing the
seven-day average to 70% of the preceding week.
The seven-day average of new cases in Tokyo has been stuck
in the mid- to high-200s since late February, while the daily
tally exceeded 300 for the second straight day on Thursday.
Tokyo - and Japan - are racing to bring coronavirus cases
under control and vaccinations well under way as it prepares to
host the Summer Olympics, which start July 23.
Japan's COVID-19 inoculation campaign began only last month
with health workers and has been moving slowly, hampered by a
lack of supply. urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL4N2L60Q8 The country has so far recorded
about 441,000 coronavirus cases and 8,400 deaths.
Health Minister Tamura said the decision on whether the
state of emergency could be lifted in the Tokyo area, which
accounts for about 30% of Japan's population, would ultimately
be made after hearing the views of experts, Kyodo reported.
(Reporting by Chang-Ran Kim; Editing by Christian Schmollinger
and Gerry Doyle)
((ran.kim@thomsonreuters.com; +81-3-4520-1228))