TOKYO, March 18 (Xinhua) -- A panel of experts in infectious diseases and other fields advising the Japanese government on its response to the coronavirus situation on Thursday approved a decision to lift the state of emergency for the Tokyo area as planned on Sunday.
"A panel of experts in infectious diseases and other fields approved the decision. The government will remain vigilant against a resurgence in infections," said Yasutoshi Nishimura, minister in charge of the COVID-19 response, without providing more specifics.
The expert panel's approval now paves the way for Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga to make a formal announcement on the move to lift the measures in place for Tokyo and three surrounding prefectures, the last in the nation under COVID-19 emergency restrictions, following a coronavirus task-force meeting later in the day.
The Japanese leader is expected to explain the decision to the public in a press conference in the evening, having earlier informed parliament of the decision.
The government told the expert panel that the previous strain on the healthcare system amid surging virus numbers when the state of emergency was first declared had eased.
This was one of the most important criteria that had to be met in order for the lifting of restrictions.
Recent new daily COVID-19 figures, however, have been a cause for concern as the pace of decline has been slowing and the transmission of virus variants, thought to be highly transmissible, have been on the increase in Japan.
With the seven-day average of cases remaining above the Tokyo Metropolitan government's target of 70 percent of the previous week of late and Tokyo's average through Tuesday leaping 10 percent, experts have urged continued caution.
"We need to take thorough measures even after the declaration is lifted. In a sense, it's more important. We must avoid creating a burden on the medical system similar to what we saw in the past," Shigeru Omi, head of the government's COVID-19 subcommittee, said.
Omi's remarks come as people, once the state of emergency is lifted, may gather in groups for cherry blossom viewing parties and for school entrance and graduation ceremonies.
The lifting of the emergency period also comes with less than five months until the postponed Tokyo Olympics, which both international and local organizers are pushing ahead amid the continued global COVID-19 pandemic.
Suga declared a one-month state of emergency for the greater Tokyo area on Jan. 7 due to the virus' resurgence, before expanding the emergency measure to a total of 11 prefectures.
It was then extended for another month for the majority of prefectures to March 7 and then extended by two weeks to Sunday for Tokyo, Saitama, Kanagawa and Chiba prefectures.
Under the soon-to-be-lifted state of emergency, restaurants and bars must close by 8:00 p.m. and people are being urged to avoid leaving home unnecessarily, particularly in the evenings.
Businesses are requested to promote remote working, while attendees at large-scale events have been capped at 5,000 people.
Once the emergency period for the greater Tokyo area is lifted, however, local governors have said that bars and restaurants will likely be asked to maintain shorter operating hours and asked to close one hour later by 9:00 p.m.
Businesses, meanwhile, will be encouraged to ask their employees to continue to work remotely, informed sources also said Thursday.
The potential lifting of restrictions comes as Tokyo's local government reported 409 new daily COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, marking the first time the latest daily tally has risen beyond the 400-mark since Feb. 18 and jumping from 300 cases reported the previous day.
The government has said that in the days and weeks following the lifting of the emergency period for the remaining four prefectures in Japan, mass COVID-19 testing in large cities will be carried out to try and detect more asymptomatic carriers of the virus.
Plans are also in place to more thoroughly test for the potentially highly contagious variants of the virus first detected in Britain, Brazil and South Africa. Enditem
