Chinese Herald Since the first case of infection was confirmed on January 15, 2020, two years after the start of the new crown epidemic in Japan, the number of new infections across the country has continued to hit a record high. On January 19, there were 41,487 new cases of infection with the new crown virus in Japan, exceeding 40,000 for the first time, a new high for two consecutive days, and the momentum of its infection spread has completely surpassed the peak of the fifth wave of the epidemic last summer, that is, 25,990 people on August 20 last year, reaching a new peak.
From the prefectures of Tokyo, there are 7,377 people in Tokyo, 6,101 people in Osaka, 2,881 people in Aichi, and 2,514 people in Hyogo. Hokkaido, Aomori, Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma, Saitama, Tokyo, Niigata, Ishikawa, Nagano, Gifu, Shizuoka, Aichi, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyogo, Wakayama, Tottori, Shimane, Okayama, Yamaguchi, Ehime, Fukuoka, Nagasaki, Kumamoto, Oita, Miyazaki, Kagoshima and other 28 prefectures all set new highs. Osaka's one-week positive rate at the beginning of the year was around 1 percent, and it has now risen to 18.9 percent. The new mutant strain "Omikejong" continues to spread at an alarming rate, and the use of hospital beds has risen sharply everywhere.
Across Japan, there have been a succession of collective infections in schools, childcare facilities, hospitals, and facilities for the elderly. An elderly man and a nurse in Wakayama who received three doses of the COVID-19 vaccine were diagnosed with the infection.
On that day, a total of 15 people died across the country. According to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, there are 281 patients with severe diseases, an increase of 20 from the 18th, and the number of deaths and severe patients is increasing. Although the number of severely ill patients was about one in eight at the peak of the "fifth wave", it has increased rapidly from more than 20 people in mid-December last year, and the number of deaths has also increased.
On January 18, Prime Minister Kishida attended a joint meeting between the government and the ruling party. Source: Prime Minister's Residence website
At the same time, the Japanese government decided to apply additional "key measures such as prevention of spread" to 13 prefectures including Tokyo, but the "sixth wave" of the epidemic showed an explosive spread, and it is impossible to predict the extent to which the number of infected people will increase.
On the 18th, the Japanese government decided to implement "key measures such as spread prevention" for 13 prefectures where the new coronavirus infection is spreading, such as Tokyo, Kanagawa, and Aichi, which was confirmed at the cabinet meeting on the evening of the 18th, and officially decided at the meeting of the government's new crown virus countermeasure headquarters on the 19th.
The implementation area includes Tokyo, Gunma, Saitama, Chiba, Kanagawa, Niigata, Aichi, Gifu, Mie, Kagawa, Nagasaki, Kumamoto, and Miyazaki prefectures, plus Hiroshima, Yamaguchi, and Okinawa prefectures, which have implemented "key measures such as spread prevention", and there are 16 prefectures.
The new "Key Measures such as Spread Prevention" began on January 21 and ended on February 13. The three prefectures of Hiroshima, Yamaguchi, and Okinawa will be in place until January 31.
The implementation of "priority measures such as spread prevention" is the pre-emergency declaration, which aims to control the epidemic before the emergency declaration is issued. So, how will this measure affect daily life?
Judging from the specific measures, in areas where "key measures such as spread prevention" are implemented, restaurants will shorten their business hours.
1. Stores certified by the local government can be open until 21:00, and liquor is served until 20:00. Non-certified shops are open until 20:00 and alcohol is not allowed.
2. In principle, the "vaccine and testing system" that can be used with a vaccination certificate that can be eaten by more than 4 people will be discontinued, and the governor of the prefecture can also make judgments based on local conditions.
3. The system of all people who have undergone the COVID-19 examination can have a meal for more than 5 people continues.
At present, the new crown infection situation in Japan is grim, with the continuous expansion of the new coronavirus OmiMokrong strain infection, the number of new infections in Japan on the 16th was 25,658, more than 25,000 for the second consecutive day, 20,991 on the 17th, and 32,197 on the 18th, soaring for several days, which is difficult to predict.
In addition, the Self-Defense Forces Mass Vaccination Center, which will undergo the third vaccination, will open in Tokyo on January 31 and Osaka on February 7.
Tokyo is located in the same location as last year, located in Building 3, Contract Office Building, Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku. In Osaka, the Osaka Prefectural International Conference Hall, Kita-ku, Osaka City, which was the vaccination center last year, is being adjusted to another venue due to its inability to be used.