Japan declares state of emergency over coronavirus

Japan’s prime minister, Shinzo Abe, has declared a month-long state of emergency in response to the coronavirus pandemic, and unveiled a record stimulus package aimed at steering the world’s third-largest economy through its biggest crisis since the war.

Abe told a televised news conference a recent sharp rise in Covid-19 cases in Tokyo and other urban areas had forced him to rethink Japan’s approach towards stemming the outbreak.

“We are not at a stage where rapid nationwide spread is being observed, but some areas are under pressure, so we don’t have the luxury of time,” he said, adding that the rise in infections was straining the country’s health service.

“To relieve that pressure there will have to be a transformation in people’s behaviour,” he said. “Preventing an explosion in cases, saving people in serious conditions and protecting you and your loved ones depends on how we change our behaviour.”

Abe asked people to reduce their contact with others by 70-80%, saying successful social distancing could see infections peak in two weeks.

He called on non-essential workers to work from home and for companies to stagger shifts for employees who cannot remotely. Invoking the community spirit that emerged in the aftermath of the tsunami disaster on Japan’s north-east coast nine years ago, Abe said: “That was a very difficult time, but the bonds that formed between people gave us hope.

We are again facing a crisis, but if we work together, we will rise to the challenge and defeat this virus.”

Ref: theguardian