Gov't under pressure to again declare COVID emergency in Tokyo

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is coming under pressure for the upcoming week to explore whether to again declare a state of emergency in Tokyo where hospital beds have been increasingly occupied by COVID-19 patients.The ratio of such hospital beds in the capital hit 48.5 percent Sunday, nearing the 50-percent threshold for the metropolitan government to consider requesting a state of emergency in an attempt to enhance anti-coronavirus measures.Tokyo, despite having introduced quasi-emergency steps this month mainly to prevent the virus from spreading at restaurants and bars, reported Sunday …READ FULL ARTICLE