Coronavirus outbreak updates: April 21, 2020

As of 11 p.m., Tuesday, April 21 (Japan time)

Japan will extend its suspension of visas held by foreign nationals to the end of May, a government source said Tuesday, having deemed it too early to lift travel restrictions meant to prevent the coronavirus from spreading.
The auction proceeds for an illustration drawn by Japanese cartoonist Leiji Matsumoto are to be used to support a hospital in Turin, Italy, where he underwent treatment for pneumonia last year, Italian media reported Monday.
Only 18 percent of people in Japan have stopped going to work due to the novel coronavirus, the lowest level in 26 countries and territories covered in a recent survey.
As the novel coronavirus pandemic has pushed many people in Japan to telework, an increasing number of firms are providing artistic background images for people to mask their cluttered rooms during online meetings.
Some 2 million face masks donated by Taiwan arrived in Japan on Tuesday for delivery to public hospitals and special schools across the country in its fight against the coronavirus pandemic.
The Uber Eats food delivery service in March saw a 20 percent increase in the number of restaurant contracts in Japan from a month earlier, its operator said Tuesday, as the government urges people to stay at home to contain the coronavirus spread.
Many members of sexual minorities in Japan worry that catching the novel coronavirus could mean their sexual orientation is revealed against their will as authorities probe infection routes, a supporters' group has found.
President Donald Trump said he will temporarily suspend all immigration into the United States amid the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.
With supplies of face masks dwindling due to the spread of the new coronavirus, many people in Japan have started making their own, boosting sales of sewing machines.

Japan's nationwide state of emergency declaration over the coronavirus outbreak has resulted in less traffic, less air pollution and, less predictably, a growing running population.

As of 11:00 p.m., Monday, April 20 (Japan time)

The Japanese government on Monday increased its emergency package to cushion the economy from the coronavirus pandemic fallout to a record 117.1 trillion yen ($1.09 trillion) from 108.2 trillion yen.
Q&A: How do I receive 100,000 yen from the government?
China denied on Monday "groundless accusations" by the United States that it may have deliberately caused the coronavirus pandemic while stressing it too is a victim
Singapore saw a huge jump in the new coronavirus infections on Monday, with a record 1,426 cases, making it the Southeast Asian country with the highest number of infections.
A venerable dyeing company in Japan has been attracting attention with its cloth face masks featuring the mouth of a dog, cat or other animals, providing a touch of amusement amid the coronavirus outbreak.
As coronavirus fears grip Japan, labor unions are receiving a growing number of reports from people who have faced discrimination at the hands of their bosses and harassment by customers frustrated with merchandise shortages.
A Japanese professor of infectious diseases said Monday that the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games are not "likely to be held" in 2021, despite a one-year postponement, as the international community would not be able to weather the global coronavirus pandemic by then, unless the games are organized in a special format.
E-commerce giant Rakuten Inc. said Monday it has started selling coronavirus testing kits to businesses and Sharp Corp. said it will sell face masks, joining other major companies in combating the rapid spread of the novel virus.
Tokyo's Toyosu fish market, which opened in 2018 to replace the aging Tsukiji market, is facing tough times with both trade volume and prices of high-end fish and other marine products tumbling as demand collapses amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Over the past weekend, people were still flocking to shopping arcades in Tokyo and other densely populated cities despite the Japanese government announcing a state of emergency nationwide over the novel coronavirus outbreak.
The economic fallout from the new coronavirus in Japan has triggered a sharp increase in nonpermanent workers seeking advice after losing their jobs, with some economists predicting unemployment could rise by over a million within a year, worse than the impact from the 2008-2009 global financial crisis.