Japan considering a new state of emergency for Tokyo
The Japanese government is ‘seriously’ considering imposing a new state of emergency across Tokyo, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said.
It would include the Greater Tokyo arrea and the three neighbouring prefectures of Kanagawa, Saitama and Chiba.
The PM said the Go To Travel domestic tourism campaign may not restart as planned next week.
"Even with the surge in infection numbers, the number of people going out in the Greater Tokyo area did not really decrease at all in December," Suga said at a press conference.
"An even stronger message must be sent to the people. I must reiterate the request for people to avoid going out for unnecessary purposes."
It will likely be different from the previous state of emergency between April and May.
Instead of blanket closures, it may be more ‘targeted’ such as placing restrictions on restaurants.
The four prefectures hit new daily records for infections on New Year’s Eve, with Tokyo recording more than 1,300 new cases.
Written by Ray Montgomery, Asia Editor
TravelMole Editorial Team
Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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