Tokyo, July 29 (BNA): Japan is encouraging regional authorities to take their countermeasures against the spread of the novel coronavirus that has spiked cases to record levels, but no comprehensive national measures are in place.
The seventh wave of COVID-19 pushed the daily number of new cases in Japan to a record high on Thursday 233,094 as the BA.5 virus spread, putting pressure on medical services and disrupting company operations in some places.
Japan has never imposed nationwide lockdowns on the scale of some other countries, instead periodically calling people to stay at home as much as possible and limiting restaurant hours.
Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Seiji Kihara emphasized on Friday that regional authorities should tailor their response to their specific situations, according to the Associated Press.
Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike has called on residents to take the tests frequently, including at free centers set up at city train stations, and to keep precautions such as masks, but the capital has not imposed any restrictions at this point.
The country of 125.8 million has done better than some in dealing with the pandemic, with 32,308 deaths since its inception in early 2020.
But the World Health Organization said this week that Japan recorded the highest number of new coronavirus cases in the world in the week ending July 24.
Although the number of deaths in the new wave was low compared to the previous ones, new infections are starting to affect some sectors.
Train companies in some areas had to scale back their services due to staff shortages and Toyota Motor Corp suspended night-shift operations on one of its production lines at its Takaoka plant in central Japan this week due to COVID.
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