Japan extended its state of emergency on Friday, already concerning six departments, including that of Tokyo, to three additional departments in the face of the resurgence of the pandemic, only ten weeks before the opening of the Olympic Games in the Japanese capital.
“We have decided to add the departments of Hokkaido, Okayama and Hiroshima to those already under a state of emergency” until May 31, announced Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga. In these three departments, “the population is relatively large and the number of Covid-19 cases is increasing rapidly,” he added.
Restrict the activity of certain businesses
Activated for the third time in the country in just over a year, the Japanese state of emergency provides for less severe restrictions than the strict lockdowns implemented elsewhere in the world.
It consists above all in restricting the activity of certain physical businesses, in particular imposing the temporary closure of bars and restaurants serving alcohol, under penalty of a fine. Some department stores and cinemas have also been closed.
Another range of measures, lower than the state of emergency, will also be extended to 10 departments, against 8 so far, out of the country’s 47.
1% of the population has been vaccinated
Japan has been relatively spared from the pandemic overall with just over 11,000 officially recorded deaths since early 2020, but medical experts warn the hospital system is under great pressure.
An aggravating factor, the vaccination campaign is progressing very slowly compared to other industrialized countries: only the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine has so far been approved in the country and just over 1% of the population has been vaccinated.
The organizers of the Tokyo Olympics (July 23-August 8), however, continue to ensure that they can take place “safely” thanks to strict health protocols, the vaccination of a large number of participants and the success of the event. recently held test events in the Japanese capital.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) hammered on Wednesday that it was “fully focused on the final phase of the implementation” of the Games, despite “speculation” and opposition from a clear majority of Japanese, according to all polls . A petition calling for the cancellation of the Olympics, which has collected more than 350,000 signatures, was handed over to local authorities in Tokyo on Friday.
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