The curbs are narrower in scope than those imposed in April under an emergency that ran to late May. "We may need to think about a state of emergency nationwide," Toshio Nakagawa, president of the Japan Medical Association, said on Wednesday. Suga has said limiting their hours had helped bring cases down in regions such as Osaka and Hokkaido. But in a worrying sign, Osaka on Wednesday reported a record 560 new cases while Hokkaido saw cases surpass 100 for the first time in a week. The prefectures of Osaka, Hyogo and Kyoto were considering requesting a state of emergency, media reported.

Source: bd News24 January 07, 2021 09:22 UTC