TOKYO, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- Japan on Thursday confirmed 1,477 new daily COVID-19 cases, bringing the nation's cumulative total to 44,287 infections as the virus' resurgence continues.
Cases of the novel coronavirus in populous, urban regions outside of the capital since the government fully lifted its state of emergency at the end of May have been on the rise, underscoring concerns about a fully-fledged second wave of the virus hitting the country.
Osaka Prefecture confirmed a daily record of 225 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the western prefecture's caseload to 5,141 infections, with daily records also recorded in Tokyo's neighboring prefectures of Chiba and Kanagawa.
Chiba reported 76 new cases, while Kanagawa confirmed 119 new infections, according to the latest official figures on Thursday evening.
Tokyo, the epicenter of the outbreak in Japan, reported 360 new cases, up from 263 reported a day earlier, bringing its cumulative total to 14,645 infections, amid rising fears that numbers could spike as a result of increased travel during the upcoming holiday season.
Such is the concern, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike urged Tokyo residents to refrain from traveling to other prefectures during the upcoming Bon holidays.
With Tokyo's alert level being kept at the highest on its four-tier scale, meaning "infections are spreading," Koike said the situation in the capital is extremely severe and as such called on residents not to return to their hometowns to visit relatives during the holidays.
She urged people instead to remain in Tokyo and spend time with relatives on the phone or online and for Tokyoites to rally together so that "a return to a safe life" could be achieved as soon as possible.
"This year is a special summer. I want people to interact with their long-distance family over the phone or online," Koike said.
Koike, once again, maintained that if the COVID-19 situation continues to worsen, then a state of emergency for the capital of 14 million would be declared.
As numbers continue to rise nationwide with Aichi Prefecture Governor Hideaki Omura declaring a state of emergency from Thursday through Aug. 24 amid a spike in cases in the central Japanese region, the central government has maintained a more blithe stance compared to some local prefectures.
Japan's top government spokesperson Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said Wednesday that the government had no plans to impose restrictions on people traveling during the summer holidays, while Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Thursday declaring a nationwide state of emergency was unnecessary.
Abe said that there had been a decline in serious cases and fatalities recently and hospitals across the country are not under strain compared to when the state of emergency was declared in April.
"The aim is to prevent the spread of infections as much as possible while also keeping social and economic activity going," Abe said.
"It's a very difficult task, but we will act quickly and as necessary to protect lives and livelihoods while avoiding a situation where another state of emergency is needed," the Japanese leader added. Enditem
