Tokyo Virus Cases Jump to Single-Day Record of Around 360, Media Say

23 Jul 2020, 04:54 PM IST

(Bloomberg) --

Tokyo found 366 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, a jump in infections that was a record for a single day as a four-day holiday weekend got started in Japan.

Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike, announcing the figures, urged residents in the capital to stay home, and said that cases are increasing among people in their 40’s and 50’s. The city’s running total topped 10,000 and new cases nationwide hit a new daily record on Wednesday.

“Without cooperation from everyone to stop it, calculations show that the numbers could increase exponentially,” Koike told reporters. “That will mean putting a brake again on economic and social activities and everyone has to cooperate to prevent that.”

Thursday’s total marked a surge in Tokyo cases from 238 the day before, and compared with the previous high of 293 on July 17.

Hospitalizations in Tokyo have jumped about five-fold over the past month, though authorities have said the medical system isn’t under stress. The city had over 4,100 cases so far this month, more than the previous peak in April when the city entered its state of emergency.

Tokyo residents were also urged to stay indoors back in March, when cases began to climb. A series of steps then followed toward declaring the state of emergency, which was lifted on May 25. Authorities have said repeatedly that the current situation doesn’t require such steps.

New coronavirus cases elsewhere in Japan also rose sharply on Thursday. Infections climbed to a daily record of around 96 in Aichi Prefecture, where Toyota Motor Corp. is based, according to broadcaster NTV. Cases in Osaka Prefecture broke above 100 for a second day, TBS reported. And in Kanagawa Prefecture, next to Tokyo, there were 53 new cases, according to NHK.