With the number of new cases exceeding 1,200 in a single day, Osaka, Japan may enter a state of emergency

According to a report by Japan's Kyodo News on the 19th, Osaka Governor Hirofumi Yoshimura publicly stated that he would ask the Japanese government to declare a state of emergency in Osaka .

Yoshimura Hirofumi told reporters at the government office on the 19th : " It has been two weeks, but the infection is in a critical state. In terms of dealing with mutant strains (virus), there must be enough (countermeasures) to stop the movement of people throughout the city. "

Yoshimura Hirofumi

If a state of emergency is declared, Yoshimura Hirofumi once again expressed the need to request department stores, shopping malls, theme parks, etc. to close.

When asked at a news conference on the morning of the 19th whether a state of emergency would be issued for Osaka Prefecture, Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato said: " If a request is made, we will immediately consider it , and it is appropriate to take timely response measures . "  

Osaka Governor Hirofumi Yoshimura said he has informed Economic, Finance and Reconstruction Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura , who is in charge of measures to deal with the new corona, of the policy request, and that a meeting of the epidemic countermeasures headquarters will be held on the afternoon of the 20th , at which time the request will be formally decided.

Previously, Hirofumi Yoshimura had stated that if the number of newly confirmed cases did not turn into a downward trend by late April, he would consider applying to the (Japanese) government to issue an emergency declaration.

The number of new infections in Osaka has exceeded 1,000 for six consecutive days since the 13th , and reached a historical high of 1,220 on the 18th , and the speed of infection shows no sign of slowing down .

As of the 18th, the number of critically ill patients in Osaka has rapidly increased to 286, exceeding the number of fixed beds, and the bed occupancy rate for critically ill patients continues to exceed 90%.

In addition to Osaka, Yoshimura Hirofumi will also discuss the implementation of a state of emergency with Tokyo and Hyogo Prefectures, which overlap with the Osaka economic zone and have also seen widespread infection. This also means that once the state of emergency declaration is passed on the 20th, the scope of the area entering the state of emergency will be further expanded.

Japan

Osaka

State of emergency