Latest news: Japan's state of emergency may be delayed!

The latest news is that Japan has its first cluster infection of the mutant virus. Saitama Prefecture has discovered that three people in the same place were infected with the British new coronavirus variant. As of now, a total of seven people infected with the mutant virus have been confirmed in this place.

As early as January 14, when the variant virus was spreading across the UK, the Japanese government suspended the entry of all foreign travelers, but the move was not completely successful in preventing the new virus strain from entering the country. So far, three coronavirus variants have been found in Japan: the British strain, and the virus types found in people returning from South Africa and Brazil.

Japanese government officials said that the mutant virus has not yet spread widely, and the government will strengthen cooperation with local authorities to identify the infection routes of mutant cases to prevent them from spreading further .

The coronavirus has killed more than 5,700 people and infected nearly 400,000 in Japan . Last month, the Japanese government declared a state of emergency for 11 regions, including Tokyo and its surrounding areas . The emergency did slow the increase in cases , and the number of infections has since declined .

Tokyo reported 393 new coronavirus infections on Monday , the lowest number in more than a month and a sharp drop from the 633 cases reported on Sunday .

But Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said the number of infections remains worrying and the medical system remains strained , and said the emergency will be extended to other areas with large numbers of coronavirus infections on Tuesday, and a decision on whether to extend the state of emergency will be made after an expert meeting panel .

Under the state of emergency, the government urged people to stay home as much as possible and asked bars and restaurants to close early. Companies were encouraged to adopt remote working, and the number of people attending large events was also limited. To implement this decision , the government proposed legislation to impose fines on those who violate the rules , which is expected to be enacted on Wednesday after passing the Senate in the House of Representatives.

The government revised the infectious disease law , saying it would impose fines of up to 500,000 yen ($4,770) on patients who refuse to be hospitalized and up to 300,000 yen on those who fail to participate in epidemiological surveys by health authorities .

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Mutated virus

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