Tokyo / Fukuoka, Tuesday, Japan spreads the emergency to Tokyo and other areas, and new measures affecting seven other prefectures at addressing the surge in COVID 19 infections are medical announced that it is risking the system.
The latest state of contingency, the fourth wave of the pandemic, expires on 31 August but continues until 12 September.
Japan Elongates Covid Contingency Lockdown
Tokyo declared 4377 new cases of coronavirus on Tuesday. Following Friday’s record 5,773 occurrences. “The Delta variants that are rampant around the world are resulting in unprecedented incidents in our nation,” said Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga. “The number of severe surges is rising, especially in the urban area, which puts a pressure on the health system.” The declaration will account for nearly 60% of Japan’s population, including Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma, Shizuoka, Kyoto, Hyogo, and Fukuoka prefectures.
The other ten counties are subject to less stringent “semi-emergency” measures. The restaurant closed early and asked to stop serving liquor in trade for a subsidy. Suga has announced new funding of 300 billion yen ($ 2.7 billion) to assist enterprises in coping with the recession. Suga mentioned that the government would also impose restrictions on the usage of departmental stores and urged individuals to halve the time they spend in packed places.
The government’s senior medical adviser, Shigeru Omi, said at a press conference that efficient measures are necessary to prevent the spread of infection. He said this is possible within the framework of existing legislation, mainly based on voluntary support there, is a national conflict on how to proceed within the bounds of the new regulatory framework. He did not go into details.
Suga spoke with Omi and said that the government is contemplating preparing enough beds for seriously ill COVID-19 patients and draft a bill to speed up vaccinations. Suga rejected the plan of imposing a general national emergency, saying he would impose “excessive limitations on certain prefectures” that could contain the new variant.
The death rate in Japan is around 1.3%, while in the United States, it is 1.7% and, in the United Kingdom, it is 2.1%. However, medical professionals fear Japan’s death toll will skyrocket as Delta variants cause a younger population, hospital overcrowding, and the inability to handle severe cases.
After consulting with medical advisors, Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura said: “Many experts have expressed a strong sense of calamity about the medical condition and the infection.” Over 80% of Tokyo’s intensive care unit has no occupancy and, it is already 100% in nearby Kanagawa prefecture.
On Tuesday, there were 276 incidents in Tokyo and 1,646 incidents nationwide, the highest ever. Daiichi Seimei Keizai Kenkyusho estimates that the extension of the government’s emergency will result in an economic downfall of approximately 1.2 trillion yen ($ 11 billion) and could create 66,000 jobs in families.
If the contingency remains within the current limits and time frame, it will be about 60% larger than the expected damage of around 750 billion yen.
Pandemic exhaustion and summer holidays have contributed to the current peak of COVID-19 in countries where only about 37% of people are fully immune.
