Okinawa hit by record infections seeks to be part of emergency areas

Okinawa on Wednesday asked the central government to join a COVID-19 state of emergency already covering Tokyo and other areas, as infections in the southern island prefecture rose to a record high.The prefecture reported 203 daily new infections among its population of 1.5 million, up from 168 the previous day, with Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki saying the local health care system is in a "crisis situation."Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has declared a state of emergency in nine prefectures until May 31, with restaurants and bars being told to close by 8 p.m. and refrain from serving alcohol or…READ FULL ARTICLE