Japan plans to declare quasi-emergency against COVID-19 in 3 prefectures: PM

Tokyo (Japan), January 7: Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Thursday that the government plans to declare a quasi-state of emergency for Okinawa, Yamaguchi and Hiroshima prefectures, as requested by their governors amid rising concerns over the spread of the Omicron variant.The governors attributed surging COVID-19 cases to the spread of the Omicron strain at U.S. military bases.The Japanese prime minister said a final decision will be announced on Friday after consultation with experts as concern has grown about a sixth wave of COVID-19 infections in the country.The quasi-emergency declaration will last from Sunday to Jan. 31 if enforced, the first such declaration since Kishida took office last year, pledging to place top priority on the COVID-19 response."Our conclusion is that we should consult (with an advisory panel of experts) over applying stricter measures to prevent a spread of the virus in the requested areas," Kishida said.A quasi-state of emergency gives local governors power including imposing stricter anti-COVID-19 measures and requesting dining establishments to shorten their business hours.Okinawa, which hosts the bulk of U.S. military installations in Japan, was one of the hardest-hit prefectures, logging a record of 981 new infections on Thursday. Cluster infections have been confirmed at the U.S. Marine Corps' Camp Hansen.The number of newly confirmed coronavirus cases surpassed 4,000 in Japan on Thursday for the first time since Sept. 18. At least 37 of Japan's 47 prefectures have reported Omicron infections.The Tokyo metropolitan government reported 641 new cases on Thursday, up from 390 the previous day and logging the highest level in around three and a half months.Source: Xinhua