Japan to Put Wakayama under COVID-19 Pre-Emergency

Tokyo, Feb. 1 (Jiji Press)--The Japanese government is making final preparations to put the western prefecture of Wakayama under a state of pre-emergency over the novel coronavirus due to a surge in infection cases, informed sources said Tuesday.

After seeking advice from a panel of experts, the government plans to make a formal decision at a task force meeting as early as Thursday, according to the sources.

Currently, 34 of all 47 prefectures are designated for the COVID-19 pre-emergency state, which enables governors to seek restrictions on some business activities.

On Jan. 25, when the central government added 18 prefectures to the list of areas in the pre-emergency stage, Wakayama was cautious about asking for such designation.

With daily infection cases subsequently hitting a record high, however, Governor Yoshinobu Nisaka expressed his intention on Thursday to request pre-emergency designation and has since held talks with the central government.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]