After almost one month of a nationwide state of emergency, implemented to curb the spread of Covid-19 coronavirus, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has lifted the order in 39 out of the country's 47 prefectures. This even includes prefectures under ‘special caution’ due to large numbers of coronavirus cases: Fukuoka, Aichi (which includes Nagoya), Gifu, Ibaraki and Ishikawa. If the number of coronavirus cases there spike dramatically, the state of emergency measures can be reimplemented.
The change means that the 39 prefectures can begin relaxing the social and economic restrictions caused by the state of emergency. However, the Japanese government is encouraging the country to adopt a new lifestyle to avoid a resurgence of the virus, such as wearing masks, washing hands and avoiding crowded places. Domestic travel between prefectures is still strongly discouraged.
The state of emergency remains in eight prefectures with a higher number of positive cases – this includes Hokkaido, Saitama, Chiba, Tokyo, Kanagawa, Osaka, Kyoto and Hyogo. The measure is expected to be lifted on May 31. However, the government is still deciding if the declaration could be lifted sooner.
At the time of writing, there are 15,706 confirmed cases in Japan (minus those from charter flights and cruise ships) .
Keep up to date with the Covid-19 coronavirus situation in Tokyo and Japan here.
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