Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the Japan government is planning to declare a state of emergency for the capital Tokyo and six other prefectures, for a period of about one month, on Tuesday to stem a rapid increase in new coronavirus infections in major population centers, reported Reuters.
“We have decided to declare a state of emergency because we’ve judged that a fast spread of the coronavirus nationwide would have an enormous impact on lives and the economy,” Abe told parliament.“We will prioritise protecting the lives and health of the people and work closely with prefectural governments.”
The Japanese prime minister will address a news conference at 7pm (10:00 GMT), after a meeting with a panel of experts for advice on declaring the emergency.
The emergency will give governors the authority to order people to stay at home and businesses to close. The enforcement of the restrictions will rely more on peer pressure and respect for authority, as no penalties have been imposed on people for ignoring the requests.
His cabinet will also decide on a massive stimulus package worth 108 trillion yen ($990 billion) – equal to 20% of Japan’s economic output – to cushion the heavy impact of the pandemic, and the emergency restrictions, on the country. The stimulus package will include 26 trillion yen ($239bn) to allow deferred social security and tax payments and 6 trillion yen ($55bn) to be used for cash payouts to households and small businesses.
Japan has so far not been as hard hit by the virus outbreak as other global hotspots, but a recent, steady rise in infections in Tokyo, Osaka, and other areas forced Abe to take the big decision of announcing a state of emergency.
The coronavirus infections in Tokyo more than doubled to 1,116 in the past week, accounting for the highest number of patients in the country. Nationwide, cases have climbed past 4,600 with 91 deaths as of Monday.
