Tokyo Confirms 119 Cases On Monday
Experts are urging people across Japan to remain vigilant, despite a slight reprieve Monday in recent daily coronavirus numbers. Officials in Okinawa are also concerned over a spike in cases connected to the US military.
Tokyo officials confirmed 119 new cases on Monday. The daily tally had topped 200 for four days in a row. The increase brings the total number of confirmed cases to more than 8,000 in the city of 14 million people.
Many of the recent cases are young people who work at or have visited nightlife districts. But officials have confirmed group infections in other areas too.
A total of 22 children and staff at a nursery in central Tokyo have been infected.
At a theater, 16 actors, five staff members, and 9 patrons are also among the latest numbers.
Clustered infections were confirmed at two hospitals near Tokyo.
Kaku Mitsuo at Tohoku Medical and Pharmaceutical University says, "Some cases may be derived from nightlife districts. But there are invisible threads of infection at other places. I believe community transmission is beginning to occur on the local level."
Kaku also says Japan should gradually resume social and economic activities while closely monitoring the situation.
In the southern prefecture of Okinawa, 98 people connected to the US military have been infected, including 71 from the Marine Corps Futenma Air Station.
More than 22,000 people have tested positive for the coronavirus in Japan. Nearly 1,000 people have died.
