Suga Vows To Work With Hokkaido On Coronavirus
Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide has pledged to work with the government of Japan's northern prefecture of Hokkaido to curb the spread of the coronavirus there.
Hokkaido Governor Suzuki Naomichi visited the prime minister's office in Tokyo on Tuesday to brief Suga about the recent surge of infections in his prefecture.
Suzuki said that the prefectural government will deal swiftly with infection clusters and increase beds for COVID-19 patients at medical institutions. He also explained a plan to add new facilities in Sapporo City to accommodate about 1,000 patients with minor symptoms.
The governor asked the central government for help, saying that if infections spread throughout Hokkaido, it would result in a shortage of local health care workers. He also sought public notification on how to prevent infections during winter.
Prime Minister Suga pledged firm cooperation with the prefecture.
Suzuki later told reporters that he is determined to contain the virus by the end of this month. He said the prefecture will get support from the central government as it works with municipal governments in carrying out measures such as intensive testing at entertainment districts.
