Japan govt considering declaring emergency in Tokyo due to Covid spike

Japanese government is preparing to declare another state of emergency in Tokyo and three neighbouring prefectures, due to the spike in coronavirus infections in the country, Kyodo News reported citing a source on Monday.

Tokyo Government Yuriko Koike and her counterparts in Chiba, Kanagawa, and Saitama prefectures on Saturday had urged the central government to issue a second declaration, days after the capital reported more than 1,300 new coronavirus cases in a single day for the first time, Kyodo News reported.

Last year in April, the first state of emergency was declared in Tokyo and six other prefectures during Japan's first wave of infections and expanded nationwide later that month.

In a recent move, Tokyo, Chiba, Kanagawa, and Saitama are apparently nearing a conclusion on stricter measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus, including requesting restaurants to close by 8 pm.

According to Kyodo News, Tokyo reported 816 new infections on Sunday, bringing the cumulative total to 62,590, by far the largest among the country's 47 prefectures. Across the country, more than 3,100 new cases and 60 deaths were confirmed the same day.