TOKYO – The Japanese government will seek advisers’ approval to lift all emergency curbs at the end of the month as the number of new coronavirus cases falls and the strain on the medical system eases, said Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura today.
If approved by a panel of government advisers, Japan as a whole will be out of a state of emergency for the first time in nearly six months.
Like many other countries, Japan has struggled to contain the spread of the highly infectious Delta variant – including through the Summer Olympic Games – keeping much of the country under emergency restrictions.
But, new daily Covid-19 cases have steadily declined over the past month to 2,129 on Sunday, and the number of severe infections, too, fell.
About 56% of the population is fully vaccinated, and the government has said all those who want the shot will have received one by November. – Reuters, September 28, 2021
