Japan Coronavirus Cases Exceed 30,000
The total number of confirmed coronavirus infections in Japan now exceeds 30,000 cases.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government reported 295 new cases on Saturday. It's the fifth straight day that the figure has topped 200.
Amid a four-day holiday, Tokyo Governor Koike Yuriko called on residents to refrain from going out as much as possible, especially the elderly and people with chronic illnesses.
The number of infections is also rising outside Tokyo. In the southern prefecture of Okinawa, 14 new cases were reported. The US military also reported 64 confirmed infections at its bases in the prefecture.
Both figures are the highest in a single day.
Nishimura Yasutoshi, the minister in charge of coronavirus response, asked people to avoid the Three Cs, speaking loudly, and poorly ventilated spaces.
Nishimura said, "the major causes are the so-called Three Cs...closed spaces, crowded places, and close-contact settings like restaurants, bars, and nightclubs."
Across the country, over 780 new cases were reported on Saturday. The total figure of 30,000 cases includes more than 700 people who were on the Diamond Princess cruise ship that docked near Tokyo in the early stages of the crisis.
The death toll has reached more than 1,000, including 13 from the cruise ship.
