Numbers increasing in Japan
Tokyo has seen another increase in the number of new coronavirus infections. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government confirmed 166 new COVID-19 infections on Sunday 12th, bringing the total in the capital to more than 2,000. You can follow the charts in English at NHK's landing page, here.
First Weekend of Emergency Shutdown
This weekend again, Tokyo Governor Koike Yuriko has advised people not to go outside unless it is absolutely necessary, urging people to keep a safe distance towards each other. The NHK writes, that the metropolitan government has asked non-essential businesses to close. Restaurants and bars were asked to close by 8 p.m., while essential services such as supermarkets, drugstores, public transit and hotels remained open.
Anyone that lives in a prefecture that is under a state of emergency (Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama, Chiba, Osaka, Hyogo and Fukuoka prefectures, through May 6), the Japanese Government is encouraging to reduce person-to-person contacts by 80 percent.
The government is using cellphone data to track the number of people in key districts, allegedly people have already restricted their movement by 60-70%. Other prefectures have asked to be placed under a state of emergency, or they might declare it themselves.
Denmark Might slowly re-open from April 15
About one month ago, the 11th of March, Denmark went into a national lockdown due to COVID-19, in order to curb the spread of the virus. As of today, situation at the Danish hospitals are currently stable - as they are having enough available respiratory and intensive care units, so more people still can be infected without the health system crashing. If this course continues, a reopening will take place at the end of Easter, very slowly, step by step from the 15th of April, DR writes on the 6th of April. The Danish people must still continue to comply with the authorities' recommendations by keeping distance, washing hands, and staying safe.
The government has extended the ban on larger assemblies, so that it will be valid until 31st of August 2020. It covers festivals, markets etc. Likewise people are still banned from assembling more than 10 persons in public spaces. Higher Education will physically be closed until the 10th of May. Click the link for an overview of Government actions.
For more information please check The Embassy of Denmark in Japan’s facebook page, as they regularly post updates concerning and covering the COVID-19 situation in Denmark, relating to trade, guidance and citizen initiatives.
For coverage of the COVID-19 situation in Japan for English readers, please visit NHK's sub-site.