Photo/Illutration People walk near JR Osaka Station as an electronic sign states “state of emergency” on April 19. (Tatsuo Kanai)

OSAKA—Admitting that pre-emergency measures have failed to reduce COVID-19 cases, Osaka Prefecture on April 20 formalized a decision to ask the central government to issue the third state of emergency for the prefecture.

Prefectural officials backed the decision at a task force meeting that day.

“Pre-emergency measures to fight the virus did not prove enough to stem the spread,” Osaka Governor Hirofumi Yoshimura told the meeting. “I am convinced that we should ask for the state of emergency coverage, given the ability of variant strains to infect more people and cause more serious cases than the initial version.”

The prefectural government is seeking closure of restaurants and large commercial complexes to restrict movements of people under the state of emergency and coordinating anti-virus measures with the central government.

The central government issued the first state of emergency for Osaka Prefecture in April last year, followed by a second one starting in January and ending in February.

Since April 5, the prefecture has requested restaurants to close early under pre-emergency measures as variant strains have overwhelmed hospitals with COVID-19 patients in serious condition.

The prefecture now wants more forceful measures, including the shutdown of restaurants, department stores, amusement parks, movie theaters and other venues under the emergency coverage.

Osaka is not planning on closing elementary, junior and high schools across the board, but it will call on universities to switch to online classes.

The prefectural government said it confirmed 1,153 new cases and eight new deaths from COVID-19 on April 20.

The latest figures raise the prefecture’s total cases to 69,907 and death toll to 1,281.

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