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Updated May 15th, 2021 at 07:43 IST

Japan expands state of emergency to nine areas ahead of Tokyo Olympics amid COVID-19

Japan, on May 14, further expanded a state of emergency from six areas to a total of nine as Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga reiterated his will to host Olympics.

Reported by: Riya Baibhawi
Japan
Image: AP | Image:self
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Japan, on May 14, further expanded a state of emergency from six areas to a total of nine as Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga reiterated his will to host the 2021 Tokyo Olympics in just over two months. The latest additions include the island of Hokkaido, and western cities of Hiroshima and Okayama. Embattled by surging COVID infection rate, struggling vaccination drive and dwindling trust of people, Japan is set to host the mega sports event from 23 July to 8 August.

“Infections are escalating extremely rapidly in populated areas,” Suga said. “As new variants continue to spread, we judged that now is a very important time to stop the further spread of infections," Suga was quoted as saying during a task force meeting by AP.

Following the expansion, bars, karaoke parlors and most entertainment facilities are required to close in Hokkaido,  Hiroshima and Okayama. Business owners who comply will be compensated; those who don’t could face fines. The new lockdown would stay in place till May 31 following which Suga is scheduled to have a meeting to decide the country’s future course of action.

Japan’s present and third-lockdown started on April 25 after the administration put four prefectures including Tokyo and Osaka under state of emergency. It further extended it to six last Friday. Now, another extension comes within a week, taking the number to nine areas.

Botched up vaccination program

The Suga Administration has been criticized for botching the vaccination program with bureaucratic manoeuvring. With the dates of Olympic 2021 nearing, the administration recently stepped up efforts to accelerate the vaccination process. According to Bloomberg, the administration has announced new efforts to channel more resources to rollout while also asking the physicians’ association to increase the number of doctors who can administer vaccines. Earlier this week, the administration, in a first, asked the country's military to set up a vaccination centre in the country capital Tokyo.

As per the latest tally, Japan has registered over 665,547 COVID-19 cases out of whom more than 11,255 have lost their lives. While a total of 579,446 have recovered. At present, there are 74,846 active coronavirus cases in the island nation. 

Image: AP

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Published May 15th, 2021 at 07:43 IST

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