The government of Japan notified the ruling party coalition on Thursday of its intention to extend the current state of emergency over COVID-19 to four other prefectures and extend its duration until August 31. This event comes after the country reported 10,699 new cases of COVID-19, the first time that 10,000 new cases were exceeded in a single day.
The state of emergency in Japan will extend to Osaka, Kanagawa, Saitama and Chiba prefectures from August 2 to August 31. Additionally, the current state of emergency in Tokyo and Okinawa will extend its end date from August 22 to August 31. Government experts expressed concern about the shortage of hospital beds, as new cases have increased by at least 50% weekly this month, and they forecast that this exponential growth will continue unless action is taken.
Tokyo reported 3,865 new cases on July 29, the third consecutive day of daily record and the second consecutive day of more than 3,000. Osaka reported 932 new cases on the same day, the first time the daily count surpassed 900 since May 11. Kanagawa reported 1,164 new cases, the second consecutive day of daily record and the second consecutive day of more than 1,000. Saitama reported 864 new cases, the second consecutive day above 800 and the second highest daily count (after 870 on July 28). Chiba reported 576 new cases on Thursday, the second consecutive day above 500 and the second-highest daily count (after 577 on July 28). Kanagawa, Saitama and Chiba revealed their plans to request a declaration of a state of emergency from the national government on Wednesday.
On July 28, Japan reported more than 8,000 new cases in one day for the first time. The previous record was 7,957 on January 8. In Tokyo, 3,177 new cases were registered on July 27, the first time that the metropolis exceeded 3,000. The latest seven-day average, 1,954.7, is also a new record and 153% more than the previous week. Under the current state of emergency, the government calls for events to limit attendance to 50% of capacity or 5,000 people, whichever is less, and end at 9:00 p.m. The government also asks that large facilities, such as department stores and gambling halls, close at 8:00 p.m. and cinemas at 9:00 p.m.
Source: NHK
