Coronavirus Outbreak: Japan declares State of emergency in Tokyo and six other regions
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday declared a state of emergency to fight coronavirus pandemic in major population centres. A State of emergency has been announced targeting the capital Tokyo, the city of Osaka and six other prefectures for a period of about one month.
Earlier, Abe told the Parliament that "We have decided to declare a state of emergency because we have found that the spread of coronavirus nationwide would have an enormous impact on lives and the economy."
With the emergency declaration, it gives the governors of Tokyo, Chiba, Kanagawa, Fukuoka, Saitama, Hyogo and Osaka a call to request the people to stay at their home.
It is pertinent to mention that the declaration of emergency does not include punishments for those who fail to comply. The Governors will be allowed to order the closure of schools, cinemas, department stores and other places that gathers large crowds. Meanwhile, the essential services such as transportation, banks, and supermarkets would be allowed to operate, as will the stock exchanges.
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Shinzo Abe has also said that the state of emergency will stop short of imposing a formal lockdown as seen in the other countries. As per the report, he also said that the government would not ask the rail companies to reduce the number of trains in operation.
-PTC News
