JAPAN
The Japanese government is preparing to declare a 'near state of emergency' in the prefectures of Okinawa, Hiroshima and Yamaguchi due to the alarming increases in infections from Covid-19.
The decision will allow local authorities to impose specific restrictions based on local needs, including anticipating the closures of catering establishments with the aim of avoiding the consumption of alcohol in the evening and gatherings in bars and restaurants.
Of particular concern is the island south of the Okinawa archipelago, home to the largest US military base in the country, which reported almost 1,000 cases on Thursday, not including the 160 new infections among the US military.
The same goes for the base of Iwakuni, in the prefecture of Yamaguchi, with a surge in infections among foreign personnel.
The Japanese foreign ministry has asked US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken to place more restrictions on the military stationed in Japan, including compliance with the terms of the quarantine.
At the national level, cases have exceeded 4,000 for the first time in 3 months, while in Tokyo the positivity has settled at 641 in the last 24 hours, increasing tenfold in the space of a week.
PERU'
The Covid-19 epidemic has made orphans around 98,000 children in Peru, the government of the country most grieving in the world for the pandemic in relation to its total population has announced. "Unfortunately, ours is the country that has nearly 98,000 children who have lost their father, mother or guardian during the pandemic," said the Minister for Women, Anahi Durand, based on data published by the medical journal The Lancet. . "We have this sad record," he added.
The ministry is currently paying a pension of Sol 200 (about $ 50) to more than 18,000 families, but the number of beneficiaries is expected to expand, Durand said.
The government intends to provide it to a total of 83,664 orphaned children and adolescents, as well as psychological and educational support.
Peru, which has 33 million inhabitants, has the highest death rate in the world from Covid-19: 6,122 deaths per million inhabitants.
The South American country, which is experiencing its third epidemic wave, has counted over two million coronavirus infections and over 202,900 deaths.
