COVID-19 infections in Japan rise to 10,810 cases, Tokyo's cases top 3,000

Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-20 16:51:32|Editor: huaxia

TOKYO, April 20 (Xinhua) -- COVID-19 cases in Japan increased to 10,810, according to the latest figures Monday, as a nationwide effort swings into gear to try and curb the spread of the virus.

As the number and pace of cases continue to increase across Japan, Prime Minster Shinzo Abe on April 16 expanded the state of emergency over the virus to cover all of Japan's 47 prefectures, expanding the initial emergency declaration made on April 7 from just seven prefectures, in a bid to more proactively combat the spread of the pneumonia-carrying virus.

The nationwide death toll from the virus has now increased to a total of 251, including those from a cruise ship that was quarantined in Yokohama near Tokyo, the latest figures showed.

In Tokyo, the epicenter of Japan's outbreak, the number of COVID-19 cases has topped the 3,000 mark at 3,082 confirmed cases, accounting for well over one-third of all COVID-19 cases across the nation, followed by hard-hit Osaka Prefecture where cases stand at 1,211 infections.

Kanagawa Prefecture, meanwhile, has recorded 782 infections, Chiba Prefecture 682 cases, Saitama Prefecture 664 infections, Fukuoka Prefecture has recorded 519 cases of COVID-19, while Hyogo Prefecture has 513 cases, according to the latest figures Monday.

The health ministry here also said there are currently a total of 215 patients considered severely ill and are on ventilators to receive respiratory assistance or have been admitted to intensive care units for medical treatment.

The ministry also said that in total, 1,713 people have been discharged from hospitals after their symptoms improved, according to the latest figures.

Central and local government officials have voiced concern that the upcoming Golden Week string of national holidays beginning at the end of this month could see throngs of people return to their hometowns or take vacations in other parts of Japan, and in doing so spread the pneumonia-carrying virus even further across the archipelago.

The National Governors' Association, in a meeting convened online on Friday, urged the central government to do its utmost to try and ensure that the public do not travel during Golden Week.

Due to the expanded emergency declaration, prefectural governors now have increased power to limit the movements of people and business activities, and enhanced measures to dissuade travel during Golden Week are expected across many prefectures in Japan.

Of particular concern is people who may be asymptomatic of having the virus or have extremely mild symptoms traveling to rural areas of Japan to visit elderly family members, who may be more susceptible to contracting the deadly virus.

Local governors have also expressed their concern about people from large cities and urban areas descending on popular local vacation spots, that have relatively low infection rates and turning these rural, quaint areas into coronavirus hotspots, unequipped medically to deal with the potential fallout.

Abe has strongly urged the public to reduce human-to-human contact by as much as 80 percent and has implored the nation's citizens across the country's 47 prefectures to refrain from going outside without good reason to help ease the burden on the already strained medical system here. Enditem

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