Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo has pledged to provide each household in the country with two reusable masks to tackle the shortage of the personal protective equipment amid the coronavirus pandemic
TOKYO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 02nd April, 2020) Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo has pledged to provide each household in the country with two reusable masks to tackle the shortage of the personal protective equipment amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Abe unveiled the initiative late on Wednesday, while wearing a cloth mask. The relevant video was posted by the NHK broadcaster on Thursday.
The prime minister noted that the measure would be "extremely effective to deal with the growing demand for masks."
The same day, he reiterated that the situation in Japan had not reached a point that would require from the authorities to declare a state of emergency.
As of Thursday morning, the country updated its COVID-19 case count to 3,236, including 712 cases registered on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship earlier this year. A total of 82 patients have died.
