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TOKYO: The Japanese government is preparing to halt its domestic travel campaign in two cities following sharp increases in COVID-19 cases, the minister handling the government’s response to the coronavirus said on Tuesday (November 24).
Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura said he hoped a final decision could be made on the temporary exclusion of the western city of Osaka and Sapporo in northern Japan later in the day.
“Infections are spreading and medical care is becoming strained, so I think it is good to act as soon as possible,” Nishimura told reporters after a cabinet meeting.
Nishimura said the exclusion would initially be for three weeks, during which new bookings under the program would be suspended.
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said on Saturday that the government would suspend new bookings under the Go To Travel program for travel to hardest-hit areas, as new cases of coronavirus have continued to rise nationally.
Suga has been attempting a balancing act to revitalize the heavily affected economy while keeping the spread of the coronavirus in check.
The city of Osaka reported 171 new cases on Monday after seeing a record 286 cases the day before, a city official told Reuters.
Sapporo’s daily infection rate stood at 140 cases Monday, down from the record 197 cases reported Thursday last week, a city official said.
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