TOKYO, Sept 2 (NNN-NHK) – Japan reported 633 new daily COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, bringing the nation’s cumulative tally to 69,154, not including those related to a cruise ship quarantined in Yokohama.
Of the new infections, 170 were confirmed in Tokyo, bringing the capital’s total caseload to 20,987, the highest among Japan’s 47 prefectures.
Tokyo’s daily average for the past week stands at 196.7, compared to 100 infections the previous day and 148 on Sunday, according to the Tokyo metropolitan government.
Yasutoshi Nishimura, Japan’s minister in charge of the virus told the press that the nationwide COVID-19 situation is “calming down.”
“Overall, the situation is calming down. We will monitor the situation closely to see if this trend is certain,” Nishimura said, as the number of new infections dropped at the end of Aug and more people have tested negative for the virus.
Nishimura’s remarks were made, however, as the capital reported a record 8,126 new cases, in Aug alone, far surpassing the 6,466 infections reported in July.
The Tokyo metropolitan government, last week, decided to extend a request for establishments serving alcohol, such as clubs, bars, restaurants and karaoke parlours to close their doors earlier.
The request will be extended until Sept 15, in a bid to curb the further spread of the virus in the capital, Tokyo Governor, Yuriko Koike, said.
The earlier 10:00 p.m. business closure request was set to expire at the end of Aug, but the metropolitan government opted to extend it for establishments in Tokyo’s 23 wards, amid rising COVID-19 cases at the establishments in question.
The metropolitan government said, it may well allocate 150,000 yen (1,400 U.S. dollars) to relevant business operators, that agree to comply with the extension request.
The extension comes, as the capital sees a resurgence in cases since July, with a disproportionately high number of cases detected at places serving alcohol, including clubs in downtown entertainment districts, as well as, at establishments where people gather to eat and drink, in close proximity with each other.
The metropolitan government has, thus, maintained its alert level at the highest, on its four-tier scale, meaning “infections are spreading.”
As for other hard-hit regions, the western prefecture of Osaka confirmed 114 new infections on Tuesday, jumping from Monday’s count of 53, to total 8,656 cases, while Tokyo’s neighbouring prefecture of Kanagawa confirmed 59 additional infections, bringing its cumulative total to 5,019 cases.
The nationwide death toll currently stands at 1,326 people, according to the latest figures released late yesterday evening.– NNN-NHK
