The government is set to extend its COVID-19 quasi-emergency measures for at least 14 prefectures, including Tokyo, Osaka and Aichi, until March 21, sources familiar with the matter said Wednesday.
Currently, 31 of the country’s 47 prefectures are in the quasi-emergency stage, which is scheduled to expire Sunday.
The government is expected to lift the pre-emergency designations for 11 prefectures on Sunday as scheduled. For the remaining six prefectures, the government still wants to assess the infection situation and hospital bed occupancy rates, the sources said.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is expected to announce the government’s plans at a news conference on Thursday. A final decision on the extensions is likely to be made Friday.
The government was aiming for the complete removal of the pre-emergency designations on Sunday, but the medical system remains strained in many areas.
At a news conference Wednesday, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said the number of new COVID-19 cases has been dropping in most of the 31 prefectures currently in the pre-emergency stage.
But he added, “Many areas may continue to face strained medical care systems for COVID-19 patients with mild to moderate symptoms and rises in the bed occupancy rates of patients with severe symptoms.”
Hokkaido, Aomori, Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma, Saitama, Chiba, Tokyo, Kanagawa, Ishikawa, Aichi, Kyoto, Osaka and Hyogo prefectures are expected to see pre-emergency designations extended.
Meanwhile, Fukushima, Niigata, Nagano, Mie, Okayama, Hiroshima, Kochi, Fukuoka, Saga, Nagasaki and Miyazaki prefectures are expected to see the quasi-emergency measures lifted.
Speaking to reporters about Tokyo’s COVID-19 situation, Gov. Yuriko Koike said, “Although many figures are decreasing, the size of the falls lacks consistency.”
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