Coronavirus: Tokyo’s state of emergency to end; Palau eyes travel bubble with Taiwan
- The central government will continue monitoring cases in Tokyo, which has been in a state of emergency for two months, PM Yoshihide Suga said
- Elsewhere, Malaysia has rolled out Sinovac Covid-19 shots, while the Pacific island of Palau is hoping to restart tourism with a travel bubble with Taiwan
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said the state of emergency in the Tokyo region would end on Sunday, after targets for relieving strain on the health care system were reached, even as coronavirus cases in the capital rose slightly.
Suga on Thursday said the government would monitor the situation to prevent a fresh surge in infections, as he set an end to the measure that had been in place for more than two months in a region home to about 36 million people.
“The number of new cases is flat, or on a slightly upwards trend, and more people are going out in some areas, so there are concerns about a rebound,” Suga told reporters. “We must also be cautious about the spread of mutated viruses.”
Tokyo and the adjoining prefectures of Kanagawa, Saitama and Chiba were the last to be kept under the emergency measure, which was imposed after a record surge of cases in January, and ended in other areas of the country earlier this month. Tokyo recorded 409 new cases on Wednesday, the highest figure since February 18.
Under the emergency, local governments instructed bars and restaurants to close by 8pm, and advised people to avoid going out unnecessarily. The limited measures helped bring infections under control, but have caused financial pain for eateries, some of which have defied the restrictions.
Suga said he would swiftly impose measures to continue financial support for bars and restaurants.
Lifting the measure nationwide is a symbolic gesture of optimism just days before the torch relay begins on March 25 for the virus-delayed Tokyo Olympics, now expected to start in July. Relaxing controls before a significant number of Japanese have been vaccinated may leave the country vulnerable to another wave of infections.