The Japanese government has decided to extend the emergency until the end of May, despite the first signs of declining new infections with the coronavirus. Japanese media reported this today. A government panel of experts had previously advocated an extension of the emergency, which was initially scheduled to run until May 6.
The state of emergency in Japan does not mean curfews as in Europe. The citizens of the island state are only asked to stay at home if possible. Many shops, restaurants and department stores are closed.
Despite the prolonged state of emergency, the government plans to ease some of the social and economic constraints in provinces where the level of infection does not require „particular caution,“ it said.
Criticism of too few tests
To date, around 15,700 cases of infection have been registered in the world’s third largest economy. Among them are 712 people who were on board a cruise ship that was temporarily quarantined.
However, critics accused Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s government of testing much less than other countries. The total number of people who died from the coronavirus is 551 people, as the Japanese TV channel NHK reported.
