The Japanese government is ready to end its state of emergency of the coronavirus in five prefectures on Friday, a week earlier than scheduled, after a dramatic drop in new cases across the country.
Emergency measures, including requests to close bars and restaurants at 8pm, are expected to be lifted in Osaka, Kyoto, Hyogo, Aichi and Gifu prefectures, the Kyodo news agency told government sources. But they will remain in place in Tokyo and in the neighboring prefectures of Kanagawa, Saitama and Chiba.
Officials will make a decision on the possible exit of Fukuoka from the state of emergency after examining the availability of hospital beds in the southwestern prefecture, Kyodo said.
The state of emergency – Japan’s second since the beginning of the pandemic – began in 11 of the country’s 47 prefectures on January 7 and was extended by another month until March 7. Tochigi, north of Tokyo, has already been withdrawn.
While the Japanese authorities do not have the legal powers to impose restrictions on businesses or individuals, requests to shorten operating hours and avoid non-essential exits appear to be bearing fruit. Companies were encouraged to adopt remote work, and participation in major events, such as concerts and sporting events, was limited to 5,000.
Japan registered 1,065 new Covid-19 cases on Thursday, according to public broadcaster NHK, well below the daily peak of nearly 8,000 on January 8th. Seventy-four deaths were attributed to the virus on the same day, down from a high of 121 in early February.
The government hopes to lift the state of emergency in the other four prefectures, as planned on March 7, NHK added.
Health experts have said that lifting most restrictions should not be taken as a sign that life is returning to normal. “There is a danger that it could send the wrong message that everything is fine now,” Toshio Nakagawa, head of the Japan Medical Association, said on Thursday.