Tokyo, Jan. 7 (BNA): Japan passed new restrictions on Friday to curb the sharp rise in coronavirus cases in the hardest-hit southwestern regions of Okinawa, Yamaguchi and Hiroshima.
“Given the sudden rise in the number of infections, the medical system risks suffering from a heavy burden in the near future,” Daichiro Yamagiwa, the minister in charge of responses to COVID-19, said at a government committee meeting.
New measures include early closing hours for restaurants, a ban on serving alcoholic beverages and restrictions on large-scale events. Details of these measures, which will start on Sunday and run through the end of the month, are being worked out locally and are likely to vary.
Japan has gone through periods of similar restrictions over the past two years in various regions, including Tokyo. The last order for restricted activity was lifted in September, according to the Associated Press.
This time, the outbreak of the highly contagious omicron appears to have been the first to strike the provinces that house the US military.
Cases in Okinawa, home to most of the 55,000 US troops in Japan, have risen 30 times a week. As many as 1,400 new cases were reported on Friday, up from 981 the day before, according to Okinawa government officials.
Cases are also rising in Yamaguchi, which includes the base of Iwakuni, and in nearby Hiroshima, at a faster rate than in the rest of Japan.
Concerns are growing about a possible increase in the number of hospitalizations. The booster injections, which experts say prevent serious conditions, have been given to less than 1% of the population, starting with medical professionals.
Most people will likely have to wait more than six months after the second dose, which is the period recommended by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Travel data for the year-end and New Year’s holidays showed people commuting less than before the pandemic, but it highlighted how people are getting tired of staying home.
Japan has reported about 18,300 deaths related to COVID-19 so far. The latest move by the government aims to send a warning to the public.
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