TOKYO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th July, 2020) Japan is approaching 30,000 coronavirus cases after reporting 771 new infections on Friday, 260 of them in the capital Tokyo, the national broadcaster said.
The country has so far confirmed 29,734 cases of infection and 1,007 deaths, according to NHK. The condition of 68 patients is said to be severe.
Friday marked the fourth straight day that saw the daily increase of more than 200 cases in Tokyo, with a record high of 366 cases reported in the metropolis on Thursday.
Despite the continuing spike in infections, Prime Minister Abe Shinzo said he would not reimpose lockdown in Tokyo or elsewhere.
"There is no doubt that the number of infected is rising... But experts agree that the current situation is different, and I believe there is no need to declare a state of emergency again," he told reporters.
Abe declared a month-long state of emergency on April 7 that initially applied to Tokyo and six other prefectures, before it was extended nationwide. The lockdown was lifted completely on May 25 after a marked fall in infections.
