(ANSA) - TOKYO, 01 MAR - A week early today in six prefectures of Japan the state of emergency imposed on February 7 will be removed, thanks to the improvement of the parameters on the spread of the coronavirus.
Recent data, in fact, show that Osaka, Kyoto, Hyogo, Aichi, Gifu and Fukuoka have recorded a consistent drop in infections, and an improvement in the availability of beds in hospitals for Covid patients.
The six prefectures, however, will continue to require restaurants, bars and karaoke to anticipate the evening closure of the premises while the reopening of other activities will be gradually coordinated in line with the government's expectations to revive the economy, heavily affected by the stalemate in consumption and the absence foreign tourists.
For the other four prefectures where the state of emergency is still in force, Tokyo, Chiba, Kanagawa and Saitama, the local authorities will await further signs of improvement, in particular from the number of hospitalizations of elderly people with severe symptoms, which still remain high in the capital.
Since the start of the pandemic, 111,676 positives have been registered in Tokyo, the highest number of all 47 prefectures in the archipelago.
The daily average has however remained under 500 over the past three weeks.
Nationally, the total number of coronavirus cases in Japan stands at 432,720 with 7,897 confirmed deaths.
(HANDLE).
