Japan’s Abe Leaning to Extend National Virus Emergency Into June
Japan’s Abe Leaning to Extend National Virus Emergency Into June
(Bloomberg) -- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said he would most likely extend the current state of emergency by about a month into June and would announce a final decision during a news conference on Monday.
Abe made the comments after receiving a proposal from a government panel of experts on the pandemic. The group said that Japan has achieved a degree of success in containing the virus, because it hasn’t experienced the explosive increase in cases seen in some countries, Abe said.
The state of emergency, which enables regional governors to instruct businesses to close down and ask people to stay at home as far as possible, was initially set to end May 6.
Japan has so far confirmed about 14,000 people as infected with the coronavirus, far below levels seen in the U.S. and parts of Europe. Abe’s move to extend restrictions comes as some governments begin to loosen their lockdowns.
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