4 More Prefs. To Take Stricter Anti - Virus Measures


4 more prefs. to take stricter anti-virus measures

Japan's government has designated four more prefectures as areas where stricter anti-coronavirus measures should be taken without announcing an official state of emergency.

The move comes as infections continue to spread with particular concern surrounding variants.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Kato Katsunobu said, "In order to prevent local waves of infection from becoming a large wave on a national scale, we will continue to flexibly and intensively take stringent measures in limited areas to contain the spread of infection."

Three of Tokyo's neighbors -- Saitama, Chiba and Kanagawa -- as well as Aichi in central Japan, were newly designated.

The stricter measures are already in place for Tokyo, Osaka and four other prefectures.

The additional designation will come into effect on Tuesday and remain in place until May 11.

Governors will be able to order bars and restaurants to close by 8 p.m. in targeted areas and impose fines for non-compliance.

The government is also urging people to refrain from nonessential travel across prefectural borders, ahead of a weeklong holiday starting in late April.

The number of new infections has been on the rise since the last state of emergency was lifted in March.

Tokyo on Friday reported 667 new cases, while Osaka hit a new record 1,209.

Medical experts are concerned about more infectious variants.

They predict that variants will almost completely replace the original strain in major urban areas around Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya in May.

The spike in new cases is putting a strain on the healthcare system. As of Thursday, the number of patients with serious COVID-19 symptoms in Osaka was higher than the number of hospital beds available for such cases.