TOKYO, Sept 3 (NNN-XINHUA) – Japan on Wednesday, reported 592 new COVID-19 cases, dropping from 633 new infections confirmed the previous day, bringing the nation’s cumulative COVID-19 tally to 69,743, not including those related to a cruise ship quarantined in Yokohama.
Of the new infections, 141 were confirmed in Tokyo, bringing the capital’s total caseload to 21,128, the highest among Japan’s 47 prefectures.
Tokyo’s latest figure compares with 170 infections confirmed the previous day and 100 reported on Monday, according to the Tokyo metropolitan government.
Tokyo’s daily tally marks the ninth straight day that infections have reached three digits.
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, the local government said, 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, linked to the kind of establishments in question.
The metropolitan government said it may well allocate 150,000 yen (1,400 U.S. dollars) to relevant business operators who 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, hence, maintained its alert level at the highest on its four-tier scale, meaning “infections are spreading.”
As for the other hard-hit regions, the western prefecture of Osaka confirmed 96 new infections on Wednesday, bringing its total to 8,752, while Tokyo’s neighbouring prefecture of Kanagawa confirmed 76 additional infections, bringing its cumulative total to 5,095 cases.
The nationwide death toll currently stands at 1,340 people, according to the latest figures released last night.– NNN-XINHUA
