Coronavirus outbreak update: Jan. 8, 2021

 

 

As of 11 p.m., Friday, Jan. 8

• Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga's declaration of another state of emergency to bring a recent surge of coronavirus infections under control appears to have come too late, with the government's decision-making process slowed by his prioritization of economic recovery and the manner in which he took office four months ago.
  
  
• Major Japanese airlines said Friday they will suspend more domestic flights after Japan declared a fresh state of emergency over the novel coronavirus for Tokyo and its neighboring prefectures to stem the spread of the virus.
  
  
• Osaka and two other western Japan prefectures decided Friday to jointly request the central government to expand the state of emergency to their areas as coronavirus infections continue to rise.
  
  
• Tokyo's confirmed daily coronavirus cases topped 2,000 for the second day in a row on Friday, after the metropolitan area was put under a one-month state of emergency amid record numbers of cases and the rapid spread of infections in other major cities.
  
  
• The Tokyo metropolitan area must aim to see a 70 percent reduction in commuters, a government minister said Friday, after the region was put under a state of emergency amid record numbers of coronavirus cases.
  
  
• Japanese business leaders said Thursday support will be necessary for struggling firms under a second state of emergency over the novel coronavirus in Tokyo and three neighboring prefectures, while they viewed the decision as inevitable due to resurging infections.

As of 11 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 7

• Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga declared a state of emergency in the Tokyo metropolitan area on Thursday, authorizing more robust measures to fight a recent surge in coronavirus infections.
  
  
• People in Japan on Thursday expressed anxiety about how their lives and businesses will be impacted by the imposition of another state of emergency in Tokyo and neighboring areas following record numbers of coronavirus cases.
  
  
• Tokyo reported a record 2,447 new coronavirus infections on Thursday, metropolitan government officials said, as the Japanese capital prepares to come under stricter measures to contain the pandemic.