Prognosis
Japan Expands Virus Emergency to 70% of Population on Covid Surge
- Suga adds eight more areas to state of emergency declaration
- Measure to cover areas that make up nearly 80% of economy
A busy shopping street in Saitama City, Saitama, Japan.
Photographer: Noriko Hayashi/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga expanded a state of emergency to eight more areas and cover more than 70% of the population as a delta-variant fueled surge sends Covid-19 cases to records and puts strains on the medical system.
Suga said Wednesday the eight areas that include the northern island of Hokkaido and the central industrial prefecture of Aichi would be placed under a state of emergency from Friday that runs until Sept. 12. When the expansion takes effect, 21 areas that make up 79% of Japan’s economy will be under a state of emergency, including the Tokyo and Osaka metro regions.