Japan's Government To Send Nurses To Okinawa
The Japanese government is to send nurses to the southern prefecture of Okinawa, where coronavirus infections are on the rise.
Health State Minister Hashimoto Gaku met Governor Tamaki Denny on Sunday in Okinawa.
At the meeting, Tamaki said Okinawa has the highest number of new positive cases per 100,000 people in the country.
He added that group infections have been identified in medical facilities and that staff have had to be quarantined, placing strain on the medical system.
Tamaki indicated that there is a shortage of about 50 nurses in the prefecture and asked Hashimoto to send them to Okinawa.
Hashimoto told Tamaki the government will do its best to assist Okinawa, together with the national governors' association.
He indicated that nurses and public health nurses will be urgently dispatched.
Hashimoto told reporters after the meeting that the dispatch will happen as soon as possible to meet the needs of healthcare providers in Okinawa.
