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THE JAPANESE government has decided to take quasi-emergency measures to limit social and business activities in 13 prefectures to avoid the spread of the Omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus. This status is valid from Friday, January 21 to February 13, 2022.
The thirteen prefectures include Saitama, Chiba, Kanagawa, Gunma, Niigata, Gifu, Aichi, Mie, Kumamoto, Miyazaki, Nagasaki, Kagawa, and Tokyo prefectures. Quoting from The Japan Times, Sunday (1/23), the spread of the virus infection did not slow down until last Wednesday. In fact, Tokyo recorded 7,377 cases. The number of seriously ill patients under Tokyo standards reached 10 people, while the bed occupancy rate reserved for coronavirus patients reached 25.9%.
Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike said the capital would consider implementing a quasi-emergency status when the percentage of patients exceeds 20%. Meanwhile, the governors of Osaka, Kyoto and Hyogo prefectures, which are also experiencing an increase in the number of COVID-19 infections, met online on Wednesday (1/19).
They decided to call for emergency action together if needed. The daily count of the three prefectures is also quite high. Hyogo hit a record high for the second day in a row with 2,514 cases, while Osaka reported more than 6,000 cases. Hokkaido will also consider a quasi-emergency status as the prefecture’s daily cases exceeded 1,170 for the first time on Wednesday (1/19).
With a quasi-emergency, prefectural governors can ask restaurants and bars to shorten working hours and stop serving alcohol in certain areas. In fact, businesses that violate can be fined up to 200,000 Yen or around IDR25.2 million.
Residents in these areas will also be asked not to travel across prefectural borders. A source also said that Tokyo is considering asking restaurants and bars to close by 8pm or 9pm.
Only certified companies that have prepared rules for preventing viral infections are allowed to serve alcohol until 8 pm. Meanwhile, non-certified restaurants and bars will be asked not to serve alcohol and close at 8pm. [sources/photo special]
