Japan's Daily COVID-19 Cases Below 3,000 for a Week... Considering Partial Lifting of Emergency Declaration

2279 Cases Recorded on the 6th, Over 2000 Since the 31st of Last Month
Considering Lifting Emergency in Some Areas as Spread Slows Down

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Japan's daily COVID-19 confirmed cases have fallen below 3,000 for a week, and plans to partially lift the state of emergency in some areas are reportedly under consideration.

According to NHK on the 7th, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases nationwide in Japan was 2,279 the previous day, maintaining the 2,000 range for the past week. According to Japanese health authorities, the cumulative number of COVID-19 cases to date is 404,650, and the cumulative deaths increased by 94 the previous day, reaching 6,389.

Compared to early and mid-last month when daily confirmed cases reached up to 7,000, the spread has slowed, prompting the Japanese government to consider partially lifting the state of emergency in some areas before the deadline. NHK reports that the Japanese government plans to hold an advisory committee meeting with infectious disease experts around the 12th to review whether there are areas where the state of emergency can be lifted.

Gifu Prefecture and Aichi Prefecture, where the COVID-19 infection situation has clearly improved, are mentioned as candidates for lifting the state of emergency. Even in areas not under the state of emergency, a newly established amendment to the "Special Measures Act on New Influenza, etc." that enables intensive infection prevention measures called "Priority Measures to Prevent Spread" will take effect from the 13th.

Earlier, in response to the spread of COVID-19, the Japanese government declared a state of emergency on the 8th of last month for four metropolitan areas including Tokyo, and from the 14th of the same month for seven metropolitan areas including Osaka, focusing on restrictions on outings and shortened business hours for restaurants. Subsequently, on the 2nd, the government extended the state of emergency deadline from the 7th of this month to the 7th of next month for 10 of the 11 metropolitan areas, excluding Tochigi Prefecture.

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