Japan police to arrest infected man who visited karaoke bar, as country ramps up coronavirus fight

Ahead of the Olympic Games, Japan is boosting its fight against the epidemic, including improving medical facilities and preparing emergency measures

Meanwhile, a man who tested positive in central Japan is expected to be arrested after going out to deliberately ‘spread the virus’

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Commuters seen in protective masks in Tokyo on February 25, 2020. Photo: Bloomberg

Published: 3:30pm, 10 Mar 2020Updated: 4:30pm, 10 Mar 2020

Japan’s government on Tuesday approved a set of draft “state of emergency” measures to tackle the coronavirus outbreak, allowing authorities to make people stay indoors and take over buildings to use as hospitals if the situation worsens.

The move comes as Tokyo steps up its fight against the epidemic four months before the 2020 Olympic Games that are set to begin on July 24, although the top government spokesman stressed that authorities would not implement drastic measures immediately.

“Currently we are not in a situation where we need to declare a state of emergency,” top government spokesman Yoshihide Suga told reporters on Tuesday.

Japan has more than 500 coronavirus cases, excluding those on the virus-stricken Diamond Princess cruise ship that docked in Yokohama, and nine people have died from the Covid-19 illness. Shinzo Abe’s government has been criticised for not imposing tougher restrictions against inbound travellers until recently, and not conducting widespread testing like South Korea, which has tested close to 200,000 people. South Korea has more than 7,500 cases and 54 deaths, with its rate of new infections seemingly slowing down.

We have concerns about new clusters emerging and, with the Tokyo Olympic Games coming up soon, we have to be as prepared as we can be

Kazuhiro Tateda, Japanese Association of Infectious Diseases

The Japanese government on Tuesday announced it would unveil more steps to offset the impact of the outbreak, focusing on support for small businesses, strengthening medical facilities and providing subsidies to parents who must go on leave because schools are closed. Finance Minister Taro Aso said the government would tap the remainder of this financial year’s budget reserve, worth some 270 billion yen (US$2.6 billion), to help finance the package.

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