Prognosis
Japan Hopes Longer Holiday Marks End of Virus Lockdown
- Tokyo governor calls on companies to embrace 12-day break
- ‘Stay at Home Week’ proposed to prevent more infections
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Japan is stepping up efforts to try to contain coronavirus infections by telling people to stay at home during a forthcoming week-long holiday, with the goal of ending the country’s quasi-lockdown when the period ends in early May.
With the nation now in its third week of a state of emergency, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike on Thursday proposed further steps to keep citizens from venturing out and infecting each other. Large companies should add vacation days to the annual Golden Week holiday to turn it into a 12-day break that would start as soon as Saturday, she said. Calling it the “Stay at Home Weeks,” the mayor asked families to stay in the capital and in their homes.