The current measures covering Tokyo and neighboring areas, Aichi in central Japan and Nagasaki in the south were initially scheduled to end Sunday but will remain until March 6, Kishida said. There are also staff shortages among medical workers who are either infected or close contacts of those who test positive. Kishida has faced criticism for the delayed and slow booster rollouts, which only started in December with medical workers. Yoshimura, in his online talks with Kishida, sought government support in deploying medical workers from public hospitals. Kishida promised help, and proposed a plan to set up temporary medical facilities in Osaka and Tokyo to provide care for a total of 1,000 patients.

Source: Egypt Independent February 09, 2022 14:15 UTC