Japan not planning to shut schools despite record daily virus cases

The Japanese government does not plan to ask schools to close despite the recent countrywide surge of daily novel coronavirus infections to record levels, the education minister said Tuesday."At this point, we are not considering a request (for all schools to shut down)," Koichi Hagiuda, minister of education, culture, sports, science and technology, told a press conference.The minister urged schools to exercise "maximum vigilance" as the number of daily coronavirus cases in Japan surpassed 2,000 for a fifth straight day on Sunday.Related coverage:READ FULL ARTICLE