The Japanese government plans to extend the COVID-19 state of emergency set to expire at the end of May in Tokyo and eight prefectures to June 20, a senior official said Thursday.
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga told reporters the government will consult with an expert panel on Friday on the extension, which would also apply to Hokkaido, Aichi, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyogo, Okayama, Hiroshima and Fukuoka prefectures.
Infections are declining in some areas including Tokyo and Osaka but “on the whole the situation is highly unpredictable,” Suga said.
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KEYWORDS
Osaka, Kyoto, Hiroshima, health, Fukuoka, Okayama, hyogo, Aichi, covid-19, covid-19 in Japan, SOE, Hokkaido