Japan's Health Minister Warns Of State Of Emergency In Case Of COVID-19 Surge - Reports

Japan's Health Minister Warns of State of Emergency in Case of COVID-19 Surge - Reports

Japanese Health Minister Kato Katsunobu has warned of the possibility of another nationwide state of emergency in case of a new surge of the coronavirus, the country's NHK broadcaster reported on Tuesday

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 04th August, 2020) Japanese Health Minister Kato Katsunobu has warned of the possibility of another nationwide state of emergency in case of a new surge of the coronavirus, the country's NHK broadcaster reported on Tuesday.

On Monday, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pledged the government's readiness to cooperate with prefectural authorities to scale up COVID-19 testing and support the pharmaceutical companies developing coronavirus vaccines and therapeutics on the backdrop of an upsurge in new cases.

According to the minister, the government can declare a state of emergency if the daily increment of infections further rises despite local authorities' efforts to contain the virus, the broadcaster said.

In light of the situation, the southern prefecture of Okinawa declared last week a state of emergency, while other municipalities advised people to refrain from going outside if not necessary and for businesses to shorten working hours.

Tokyo remains Japan's biggest outbreak area, according to NHK, with 309 new coronavirus cases being reported over the past day. The update brings Tokyo's total tally to 14,022 cases.

Overall in Japan, the health authorities have so far confirmed more than 40,000 cases, including 1,031 deaths and over 27,000 recoveries.