Tokyo area, Hokkaido to remain under virus emergency beyond Thurs.

The Tokyo metropolitan area and Hokkaido are set to remain under a state of emergency over the novel coronavirus even after the government decides Thursday to remove three western prefectures from the list, government officials said Wednesday.The government plans to reassess the situations in Hokkaido, Tokyo and its three surrounding areas -- Chiba, Saitama and Kanagawa -- next week, but the emergency declaration will be lifted in Osaka, Kyoto and Hyogo prefectures, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity.Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will make a formal decision on Thursday afte…READ FULL ARTICLE