THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
February 2, 2021 at 19:27 JST
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga attends a Cabinet meeting on Feb. 2. (Kotaro Ebara)
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on Feb. 2 said the state of emergency for the novel coronavirus pandemic would be extended for a month for 10 prefectures.
“We will continue to thoroughly implement the measures in place so far in order to bring new infections under control,” Suga said at the government task force meeting.
The state of emergency for 11 prefectures was scheduled to expire on Feb. 7.
But Suga said that it will continue until March 7 for Tokyo, Kanagawa, Chiba and Saitama prefectures in the Kanto region, Osaka, Kyoto and Hyogo prefectures in the Kansai region, Aichi and Gifu prefectures in central Japan, and Fukuoka Prefecture on the main southern island of Kyushu.
Tochigi Prefecture will be the only one where the state of emergency will be lifted.
Prefectures could have the state of emergency in their jurisdictions lifted before the March 7 deadline if COVID-19 infections are brought under control.
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