Stay Home Measures Spread In Japan
In Japan, more people are being asked to take steps to slow down a surge in coronavirus infections.
People in Tokyo are adjusting to a sudden lifestyle shift as the number of cases there topped 2,000.
Shinjuku station is known for massive crowds. But the start of this work week shows a difference.
Many are staying home or shifting their schedules to avoid rush hour.
One man said, "I will be working from 7 to 3. I'm trying to avoid crowds as much as possible."
Others say it's been hard to change how they work.
One woman said, "It's impossible to do teleworking for my kind of job. I envy people who can work from home."
Tokyo and neighboring prefectures are under a state of emergency, calling on non-essential businesses to close.
Saitama's measures began Monday.
Officials in nearby Chiba, Osaka, and Fukuoka in western Japan are still finalizing the new rules.
Hokkaido, in Japan's North, was the first prefecture to call a state of emergency, which it lifted last month.
But new cases have prompted the governor to once again call for schools to be closed.
Hokkaido Governor Suzuki Naomichi said, "Looking at the increase in the number of patients, this could be a second wave."
The newly confirmed cases in the prefecture have hit double digits five days in a row.
Across Japan, over 7,400 people have tested positive for the virus.
The tally doesn't include over 700 cases linked to the Diamond Princess cruise ship, which was quarantined in Yokohama in February.
About 150 people have died, including 12 from the ship.
The Japanese government wants prefectures under a state of emergency to slash the number of their employees working at the office to no more than three out of every ten.
The government has begun using cell phone data to track the number of people in key districts.
Authorities say people in major cities have already reduced their movements by about 60 to 70 percent.
Officials hope this will encourage people to do more.
