Tokyo, Oct. 1 (BNA): Japan fully emerged from the coronavirus emergency for the first time in more than six months as the country began to gradually ease virus measures to help revive the epidemic-hit economy as infections slow. The Associated Press (AP) reported.
At Tokyo’s crowded Shinagawa train station, a sea of mask-clad passengers rushed to work despite the approaching typhoon, and some returned to their offices after months of working remotely.
The emergency measures, implemented in more than half of the country including Tokyo, expired on Thursday after a steady decline in the number of new cases over the past few weeks, helping ease pressure on Japan’s health care systems.
Outgoing Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga thanked the people for their patience and cooperation, and asked them to adhere to their basic anti-virus measures.
“Once again, I ask for your cooperation so that we can go back to our daily lives feeling safe,” he said.
Lifting the state of emergency marked a fresh start for some people.
Office worker Akifumi Sugihara, 46, said he returned to the train station for the first time in about a year. “I’ve been working from home for more than a year, and I came to the office in Tokyo as (the state of emergency) was lifted today,” he said. “It’s been a while, really. I feel like it’s a fresh start.”
It’s a normal Friday, said Kaori Hayashi, another office worker. “In my opinion nothing has really changed,” she said. “We still need to be careful. I will stay vigil and carry on with my life as usual.”
Japan is keen to expand social and economic activities while balancing the need to prevent another wave of infections as the weather gets colder. Officials say the government still needs time to set up more temporary COVID-19 treatment facilities and continue vaccinations to prepare for any future resurgence.
The emergency measures mainly included restaurant requests to limit alcohol and business hours. They can now serve alcohol and work an hour longer but still have to close at 9pm
Reported cases per day have fallen to less than 1,600 as of Wednesday nationwide — less than a tenth of the peak in mid-August at about 25,000 cases. Experts attributed the decline in numbers to advances in vaccinations and increased social distancing efforts among people after they were concerned about the collapse of medical systems during the summer.
Approximately 59% of Japanese have been fully vaccinated. Japan has had about 1.69 million cases and 17,641 deaths from COVID-19.
AOQ