Loading
Search
▼ Japan Looks To Fully Lift COVID-19 Emergency On Friday
- Category:Other
The government is considering completely lifting its COVID-19 state of emergency, currently covering Tokyo and 18 other prefectures, when it expires on Thursday, informed sources said Monday.
The government currently has no plans to replace the coronavirus state of emergency for the 19 prefectures with the less strict pre-emergency designation.
The government is expected to hear opinions from local governments before formally deciding whether to end the emergency declaration at a meeting of its coronavirus response headquarters Tuesday, the sources said.
On Sunday, health minister Norihisa Tamura said he thinks the government will be able to lift its state of emergency at the end of the month as scheduled.
Citing factors such as the recent downtrend in the number of new infection cases, Tamura said on a television program, “We can realize … the removal of the state of emergency at the end of September.”
But Tamura called attention to the risk of infection cases resurging toward the winter and asked the public to continue to avoid activities that increase infection risks.
He said the relaxation of restrictions on citizens and businesses after the lifting of the state of emergency needs to be implemented in stages, partly in line with the results of demonstration tests the government plans to conduct due to progress in COVID-19 vaccinations.
In preparation for the winter, Tamura stressed the importance of establishing temporary medical facilities, securing medical personnel and creating a system of giving treatment at home.
While acknowledging a certain effectiveness of booster vaccine shots, the minister said the government will examine the scope of citizens who will be advised to receive such doses.
He also mentioned the need to study the possibility of lowering the minimum age of people who can be inoculated, in view of the risk of children spreading infections at home.
The government currently has no plans to replace the coronavirus state of emergency for the 19 prefectures with the less strict pre-emergency designation.
The government is expected to hear opinions from local governments before formally deciding whether to end the emergency declaration at a meeting of its coronavirus response headquarters Tuesday, the sources said.
On Sunday, health minister Norihisa Tamura said he thinks the government will be able to lift its state of emergency at the end of the month as scheduled.
Citing factors such as the recent downtrend in the number of new infection cases, Tamura said on a television program, “We can realize … the removal of the state of emergency at the end of September.”
But Tamura called attention to the risk of infection cases resurging toward the winter and asked the public to continue to avoid activities that increase infection risks.
He said the relaxation of restrictions on citizens and businesses after the lifting of the state of emergency needs to be implemented in stages, partly in line with the results of demonstration tests the government plans to conduct due to progress in COVID-19 vaccinations.
In preparation for the winter, Tamura stressed the importance of establishing temporary medical facilities, securing medical personnel and creating a system of giving treatment at home.
While acknowledging a certain effectiveness of booster vaccine shots, the minister said the government will examine the scope of citizens who will be advised to receive such doses.
He also mentioned the need to study the possibility of lowering the minimum age of people who can be inoculated, in view of the risk of children spreading infections at home.
- September 27, 2021
- Comment (0)
- Trackback(0)