Tokyo Confirms 352 New Cases Of Coronavirus
Tokyo Metropolitan Government officials confirmed 352 new cases of coronavirus in the capital on Tuesday.
The number of people who have tested positive in Tokyo now stands at 44,355.
Public health officials in Tokyo are urging people to eat out only in small groups.
Ota Ward had a record 545 cases last month. More than 100 staff members at the ward's public health office are struggling to deal with the surge in new infections.
They say people who test positive this time around have been in close contact with more people, possibly because business activity and people's movement have picked up.
As a result, contact tracing of a single person can take almost a whole day.
One health worker said the staff is at a breaking point, both physically and mentally.
The public health office says eating in groups is a high-risk factor, judging from interviews with more than 2,000 people who tested positive.
In one case, three members of a group of five were found to be infected after eating lunch together in a company cafeteria. In another case, two in a group of nine were infected at an outdoor barbecue.
