Prognosis
Japan Mulling Declaring Emergency for Tokyo as Cases Surge
- Yoshihide Suga says to finalize the extent of declaration soon
- Premier to be among first vaccinated in late February rollout
Photographer: Philip Fong/AFP/Getty Images
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Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga is considering a state of emergency in Tokyo and surrounding areas, with coronavirus cases at record highs and Japan’s vaccine rollout still more than a month away.
Suga told a news conference Monday that the government would consult an advisory panel before finalizing the emergency declaration plan and didn’t providing details such as when the declaration would start and how long it would last. He urged people to avoid unnecessary outings and said a strengthened law on virus management would be submitted to parliament when it convenes this month.