The Japanese government is to place Tokyo and a dozen other areas under new restrictions for COVID-19 effective tomorrow, allowing local leaders to shorten hours for eateries, as a surge in the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 threatens to paralyze society.
A government-commissioned experts’ panel yesterday approved a plan to put the 13 areas under a three-week restraint through Feb. 13, said Japanese Minister for Economic Revitalization Daishiro Yamagiwa, who is also in charge of virus measures.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was expected to officially announce the new measures at a government task force meeting later yesterday.
Photo: Reuters
Japan has so far resisted the use of lockdowns to fight the pandemic and instead has focused on requiring restaurants and bars to close early and not serve alcohol, and asking the public to wear masks and practice social distancing, as the government seeks to minimize damage to the economy.
Japan had been gradually expanding social and business activity since an earlier wave of infections subsided in September last year, which experts say was largely due to the country’s rapid progress in rolling out the initial two doses of vaccines.
However, experts say breakthrough infections by the Omicron variant are more common. The fast-spreading variant has caused a number of medical workers and others to self-isolate after testing positive or coming into close contact with someone who has. Sharply rising infections have already begun to paralyze hospitals, schools and other sectors in some areas.
The national government is taking action following requests by local governors, including Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike, who raised alarms about the possibility of essential public services, such as public transportation and garbage collection, grinding to a halt.
Tokyo reported 5,185 new infections on Tuesday. Nationwide, Japan has logged more than 32,000 cases, bringing its total to 1.93 million cases, with 18,443 deaths.
More than 134,000 people are quarantining or hospitalized for COVID-19, the Japanese Ministry of Health said.
Shigeru Omi, the government’s top medical adviser, said vaccines no longer offer reliable protection against the Omicron variant, making testing and social curbs among the only effective and realistic measures to prevent more infections.
Restrictions would be in place in 16 areas around the country, including three other prefectures — Okinawa, Hiroshima and Yamaguchi — which were placed under similar measures earlier this month.
Other areas, including badly hit Osaka, where 5,396 new cases were reported on Tuesday, might be added later.
While about 80 percent of Japanese have received their first two vaccine doses, the booster rollout nationwide has been slow and reached only 1.3 percent of the population.
The government recently cut intervals between the second and third shots to six months from eight for older people, but younger people are unlikely to get their turn until March or later.
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