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Commuters and passers-by wearing protective face masks in Tokyo. Photo: Reuters

Published: 10:48am, 30 Jul 2020Updated: 8:16pm, 30 Jul 2020

Health officials across Asia are facing a wave of coronavirus outbreaks, prompting authorities to impose a range of tougher restrictions.

Asian countries had largely prided themselves on rapidly containing initial outbreaks after the virus emerged in central China late last year but flare-ups this month have shown the danger of complacency.

In Japan, Tokyo’s governor on Thursday called for restaurants, bars and karaoke parlours to shut earlier to help contain the coronavirus as the Japanese capital reported a record new number of infections.

“The current situation [in Tokyo] is more serious than before,” Yuriko Koike said, citing expert opinions. “There were several clusters in Tokyo … We have no time to waste.”

Businesses in the capital that serve alcohol and karaoke parlours will be asked to close at 10pm, from August 3 until the end of the month, Koike said. The request is voluntary, with no penalties for those who don’t comply, and comes as the capital announced 367 new coronavirus cases, a day after a new single-day nationwide figure of 1,264 cases.

The Tokyo metropolitan government on Thursday confirmed a single-day record of 367 new coronavirus cases. The figure surpasses the previous high of 366 cases confirmed on July 23 and brings Tokyo’s cumulative total to over 12,000, about half of which were reported this month.