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TOKYO (REUTERS) – Tokyo is preparing to raise its coronavirus alert level to the highest of four levels as the number of positive cases rises in the Japanese capital, the Nikkei business daily reported on Wednesday (November 18).
As part of the measure, the metropolitan government is considering asking some companies to shorten their hours again, the newspaper said, citing several anonymous sources.
The announcement will be made on Thursday, the Nikkei said.
Tokyo authorities did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Tokyo had lowered the alert level to the second highest range on September 10 after the daily number of infections fell from a summer peak of more than 400 cases.
However, since the beginning of this month, daily infections have tended to rise, reaching a three-month high of 393 cases last week.
The higher alert level indicates “infections are spreading” versus the less severe “infections seem to be spreading”.
Still, Japan is far from the critical number of infections and deaths seen in many Western countries, with around 121,000 positive cases and 1,920 deaths reported so far.
The tests are also much lower, a few thousand a day for Tokyo, a city with a population of 14 million.
The Nikkei said the capital would keep its alert level for medical readiness at the second highest level, indicating a need to increase capacity, but conditions were not yet strict.
According to the city’s website, 1,281 patients are currently hospitalized with Covid-19, compared to the capacity of 2,640 beds.
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