The Japanese government will place Tokyo and a dozen other regions under new restrictions for COVID-19 effective Friday, allowing local leaders to reduce hours for eateries, as a surge in Omicron cases threatens to paralyze society .
A government-commissioned panel of experts on Wednesday approved a plan to put 13 sectors under a three-week restraint through February 13, said Economy Revitalization Minister Daishiro Yamagiwa, who is also in charge of virus measures.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is expected to officially announce the new measures at a government task force meeting later on Wednesday.
Japan has so far resisted the use of lockdowns to fight the pandemic and has instead focused on requiring restaurants and bars to close early and serving alcohol, and asking the public to wear masks and practice social distancing. Said, because the government wants to reduce the loss. Economy.
Japan has been gradually expanding social and business activities since a chronic wave of infections subsided in September, which experts say was due to the country’s rapid progress in introducing the first two doses of vaccines.
But experts say breakthrough infections are more common than the Omicron type. The fast-spreading variant has caused many medical workers and others to self-isolate after testing positive or coming into close contact with such a person. Rapidly rising infections have begun to paralyze hospitals, schools and other areas in some areas.
The national government is taking action following requests from local governors, including the Tokyo government. Yuriko Koike, who raised the alarm about the prospect of essential public services such as public transportation and garbage collection, was grinding.
Tokyo reported 5,185 new infections on Tuesday. Nationwide, Japan has registered more than 32,000 cases, bringing its total to 1.93 million cases, with 184,00 deaths.
According to the health ministry, more than 134,000 patients are now in quarantine or hospitalized for COVID-19.
The government’s top medical adviser, Shigeru Omi, said vaccines no longer provide reliable protection against the Omicron variant, with testing and social restrictions among the only effective and realistic measures to prevent more infections.
Restrictions will apply to 16 regions across the country, including three other prefectures – Okinawa, Hiroshima and Yamaguchi – which were placed under similar measures earlier this month.
Other areas, including the worst-hit Osaka, where 5,396 new cases were reported on Tuesday, may be added later.
While about 80% of Japanese have received their first two vaccine doses, the nationwide booster rollout has been slow and has only reached 1.3% of the population.
The government recently decided to reduce the interval between the second and third shots to eight to six months for elderly people, but young people are unlikely to get their turn until March or later.
While Kishida emphasizes the need for security as a justification for the sanctions, the measures are also seen as a political move to gain public support ahead of this summer’s parliamentary elections.
Critics also say that the measures, which almost exclusively target bars and restaurants, make little sense and are unfair.