Japan: 13 additional prefectures enter quasi-state of emergency amid COVID surge

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Restaurants and bars had to close earlier Friday, as seen in Nagoya, as Japan declared a quasi-state of emergency in 13 of its prefectures amid a surge in COVID-19 infections.

“It is tough, but all we can do to prevent the spread of coronavirus is to listen to what the government says and cooperate,” said restaurant owner Kenji Tanaka.

Alcohol was only allowed to be served until 8 PM local time, he added, saying that as a result, visitors had to leave just when they were “about to enjoy.”

The 13 prefectures affected are Aichi, where Nagoya is located, Tokyo, Saitama, Chiba, Gunma, Niigata, Kanagawa, Gifu, Mie, Kagawa, Nagasaki, Kumamoto and Miyazaki. The restrictions - which vary from region to region and generally allow governors to shut down bars and restaurants early - are scheduled to last until February 13.

While about 80 percent of Japan were dually vaccinated, booster shots were introduced slowly and have reached only 1.4 percent of the population.

On Friday, the country broke the record of daily COVID-19 infections for the fourth day in a row.

SOUNDBITES:

SOT, Kenji Tanaka, Owner of Izakaya restaurant (Japanese): “The government thinks it is the best thing to do and asks everyone to do it this way, you know, and we will not know if it is the right answer or not until later. But we have no choice but to cooperate with the regulations.”

SOT, Kenji Tanaka, Owner of Izakaya restaurant (Japanese): “It is true that sales are down, and customers have to finish when they are about to enjoy. So it is tough, but all we can do to prevent the spread of coronavirus is to listen to what the government says and cooperate.”

SOT, Kenji Tanaka, Owner of Izakaya restaurant (Japanese): “We can only serve alcohol until 20:00, and sales will drop, but if we do not hold back now, Coronavirus will never go away. With that in mind, we are working hard. So, I meet everyone (pub owners, etc.) at various places, and we say, “Let’s just do our best”. That’s all we can say.”

SOT, Kana, customer (Japanese): “I think it is a good idea to take preventive measures by concentrating on areas with a high number of infected people to ease the spread of the disease, rather than all over the country at once.”

#COVID19 #coronavirus #Japan

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