Society | Jun 30

Tokyo confirms 58 new coronavirus cases

Tokyo officials say 58 new coronavirus cases were confirmed on Monday. The number of infections has been on the rise in recent days, but the government says there's no need to declare another state of emergency.

The latest figure is slightly smaller than Sunday when the daily tally was the highest since the nationwide state of emergency was fully lifted last month.

Officials say about 40 percent of people who tested positive in Tokyo over the past week have either worked at, or visited nightclubs.

A group infection was also confirmed at a nightclub in a neighboring prefecture.

Health officials are also singling out small karaoke bars as a source of infection in the city of Otaru located in the northern prefecture of Hokkaido.

36 people have tested positive and one person has died. Among them are retirees who often visit the facilities during the day.

The Chief Cabinet Secretary says there's no immediate plan to declare another state of emergency or ask people to stop travelling between prefectures.

Suga Yoshihide said, "After the declaration was lifted, a certain number of new infections have been confirmed, mainly in Tokyo. However, the results include those who were in close contact with infected people, regardless of whether they have symptoms themselves."

One infectious disease expert says now is the time to prepare for another possible surge in infections.

Professor, Hamada Atsuo at Tokyo Medical University says, " If the virus starts to spread rapidly, it will be difficult to deal with a second wave of infections. We should do all we can to avoid that."

Hamada is calling on local governments to proceed cautiously, noting that restrictions on overseas travel is expected to ease in the coming months.


MORE Society NEWS

The Imperial Household Agency has announced that Princess Kako, the second daughter of the Akishino family, is scheduled to visit Greece in late May to promote international goodwill.

The Taiji Town Whale Museum in Wakayama Prefecture conducted a memorial service on Tuesday for marine mammals and fish that have died in captivity.

A startling projection has been unveiled, suggesting that if current trends continue, every Japanese person might eventually be named 'Sato'.

POPULAR NEWS

Four men have been arrested by Tokyo police for allegedly recruiting women for prostitution in the United States via a website, promising encounters with affluent clients and high earnings.

For the first time in 73 years, Japan has unveiled a newly constructed whaling mother ship, equipped with drone technology for whaling operations in the Antarctic Sea.

The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in Nara Prefecture has disciplined its former Youth Division Chief following a controversial dance party incident.

Residents of Japan's oldest student dormitory, self-managed for over 100 years, are digging in as Kyoto University attempts to evict them from the premises.

A Japan Airlines flight en route from Melbourne to Narita Airport encountered sudden severe turbulence on April 1, causing injuries to several cabin crew, including a broken leg.

FOLLOW US