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Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has extended the country’s state emergency until the end of the month, amid warnings that relaxing social distancing councils too soon could flood hospitals already crowded with coronavirus patients.
Abe declared a month-long state of emergency in Tokyo and six other prefectures on April 7, allowing local governors to request that people avoid unnecessary travel abroad and close non-essential businesses.
Since then, the measures have been expanded across the country, but are much less restrictive than those introduced in the US. USA And parts of Europe, without fines or other sanctions for those who do not comply.
The restrictions were to end Wednesday, the end of a series of holidays known as Golden Week, but Abe said at a press conference Monday that they would remain in all regions until May 31.
He called on people to adopt “new lifestyles” based on physical distancing, adding that the extension was “designed for us to prepare for the next step and end the state of emergency.”
His decision came after government experts warned that the number of new infections had not decreased enough to warrant a relaxation of social distancing measures, adding that a second wave of cases could put intolerable pressure on hospitals.
The government is expected to urge residents of 13 high-risk prefectures, including Tokyo and Osaka, to continue reducing person-to-person contact by 80% and implement other stringent social distancing measures.
In prefectures that have registered relatively few cases, restrictions on business operations and small gatherings will be relaxed, but residents will be asked not to travel outside their home regions. Bars and nightclubs will be asked to remain closed.
Museums, libraries, parks and other facilities are likely to be reopened as long as preventive measures are applied.
Local leaders have expressed concern that infections could spread if people stopped distancing themselves socially and started moving again.
The number of coronavirus cases in Japan was 15,789 on Sunday, according to public broadcaster NHK, with 549 deaths. Those figures include 712 infections and 13 deaths related to The Diamond Princess cruise ship, which was quarantined in Yokohama, near Tokyo, in February.
The number of daily cases in Tokyo appears to have stabilized from a peak of 201 on April 17.
It usually only tests those who show consistent symptoms of the virus in an attempt to relieve pressure in hospitals, but that approach has made it more difficult to identify, track, and isolate people who may be asymptomatic or who only show mild symptoms.
The Golden Week holidays have given an indication of the seriousness with which Tokyoites are taking requests to voluntarily reduce their contact with others. While some central parts of the capital have been nearly empty, suburban shopping areas, parks, and beaches outside the city are still busy. Some pachinko rooms have remained open, despite threats from local authorities to name them publicly.
According to a recent survey by the Asahi Shimbun newspaper, three-quarters of the Japanese said they went out less than usual, but only slightly more than half felt they were reaching Abe’s goal of reducing contact with other people by 80 %.
“The message coming from the government is quite mild, apparently trying to convey the need to stay home and prioritizing the economy,” said Naoya Sekiya, a professor at the University of Tokyo who specializes in social psychology and risky communications. “Because people lack a shared sense of crisis, instead of staying home, they hope for the best and assume they won’t get infected.”
Concern is mounting over the damage the outbreak is causing in the world’s third largest economy, which was heading for recession even before the crisis. Foreign tourism, a key component of Abe’s economic policy, has plummeted by as much as 90%, while in another blow the global spread of the virus has forced the postponement of the Tokyo Olympics.
