Japan Cabinet Secretariat: "Barely Holding On Before Declaring COVID-19 State of Emergency"

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] Yoshihide Suga, Chief Cabinet Secretary of Japan, said on the 30th that the country is "barely holding on ahead of the 'state of emergency declaration'" in relation to the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19).

According to NHK and other broadcasts, at a regular briefing on the day, Secretary Suga said regarding the accelerating speed of COVID-19 infections in Tokyo, "The current situation is recognized as barely holding on in relation to the state of emergency declaration."

Secretary Suga emphasized, "This is a very important time to avoid the rapid spread of COVID-19 domestically," adding, "The government will work closely with local governments more than ever before and do its utmost to prevent the spread of infection based on basic response policies." He also added, "Considering that the state of emergency declaration has a significant impact on people's lives, it is necessary to make a careful judgment based on professional opinions from various fields."

Regarding city lockdowns due to COVID-19, he explained, "In countries like the United States and various European nations where explosive infection spread occurred, strict measures such as city lockdowns or mandatory stay-at-home orders had to be implemented," and added, "We hope the public understands that these measures cause great inconvenience but are intended to avoid even stricter actions."

Secretary Suga then urged people to prepare for a prolonged COVID-19 crisis, saying, "It is difficult to evaluate the effect of refraining from going out last weekend at this time, but please share the sense of crisis and cooperate under the recognition that this is a crucial time to prevent the spread domestically."

Earlier, on the 28th, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe hinted at the imminent state of emergency declaration related to COVID-19 during a press conference, saying, "Not at this stage, but it is a crossroads situation (regarding the declaration)." On the 26th, Prime Minister Abe established the COVID-19 response headquarters under the revised Special Measures Act on New Influenza Countermeasures, enabling him to issue a state of emergency declaration.

According to the Special Measures Act, once the response headquarters is established, if COVID-19 causes ▲ significant damage to people's lives and the economy or ▲ the infection spreads rapidly and widely nationwide, seriously affecting people's lives and the economy, the Prime Minister can declare a state of emergency.

Meanwhile, as of 12:00 PM on the day, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Japan was 1,896, with a total of 67 deaths. Including passengers on the large cruise ship Diamond Princess, the total number of confirmed cases is 2,608.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.