COVID-19 state of emergency lifted in Japan
May 25, 2020
Tokyo [Japan], May 25 (Sputnik/ANI): Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced on Monday that the state of emergency, imposed to contain the coronavirus pandemic, would be lifted in the remaining five prefectures including Tokyo.
"The state of emergency is lifted on all the country's territory," Abe said at a press conference, which was aired by NHK broadcaster.
However, a state of emergency can be re-imposed if the infection starts spreading rapidly again, the Prime Minister warned.
The expert commission, established by the Japanese government at the beginning of the outbreak, will present by mid-June guidelines for clubs, bars and karaoke spots, where several COVID-19 clusters have originated, Abe added.
"As for the work of bars, night clubs, live music clubs and so on, experts will elaborate guidelines for their operation by the middle of June," Abe added.
The Japanese government declared the state of emergency for Tokyo and six neighbouring prefectures in early April and later expanded it to cover the entire country.
The state of emergency was imposed in areas where the number of infected persons was higher than 0.5 per 100,000.
Earlier in May, the restrictions were lifted in nearly all of the country's 47 prefectures. However, the government asks owners of clubs and bars to abstain from opening the entertainment facilities to prevent the emergence of new COVID clusters. (Sputnik/ANI)
