Coronavirus: Tokyo governor wants to extend state of emergency; Philippines accelerates vaccine drive
- Tokyo will discuss the appropriate extension with neighbouring prefectures and the central government, Governor Yuriko Koike said
- Meanwhile, Arnon Nampa, the Thai protest leader jailed without bail since February on charges of insulting the king, has contracted coronavirus
Japan had hoped that a “short and powerful” state of emergency would contain a fourth wave of cases just under three months before Tokyo is scheduled to host the Olympic Games. But the declaration, started on April 25 and due to end on Tuesday, has failed to halt an increase in new infections and serious cases.
Tokyo will discuss the appropriate extension with neighbouring prefectures and the central government, Koike said following a meeting with health experts.
“Based on the analyses from various angles, my thinking is that we need an extension of the state of emergency,” Koike said.
Mutant strains of the virus are becoming dominant, increasing cases among younger people and driving concern that the current surge could exceed the third wave that crested in January, Koike said. She called on residents to curtail movements to contain infections.
Though Japan has not suffered as badly from the coronavirus as other nations, its vaccination programme is lagging badly with fewer than three months left before the Summer Olympics, postponed by a year, are set to start.