Coronavirus: Shinzo Abe ponders extending state of emergency

Japan will formally decide as early as Monday whether to extend its nationwide state of emergency, broadcaster NHK reported.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe warned citizens on Thursday to prepare for a ‘drawn-out battle’ against the virus. Picture: AFP

Japan will formally decide as early as Monday whether to extend its nationwide state of emergency, public broadcaster NHK reported on Friday.

The state of emergency is set to expire next Wednesday, but Prime Minister Shinzo Abe warned citizens on Thursday to prepare for a “drawn-out battle” against the virus. The government plans to extend the emergency for a month, sources say.

The government has called for vigilance during the long Golden Week holiday — usually a peak travel period — that runs through to Wednesday, calling on people to stay home and reduce contact with others.

At Friday’s cabinet meeting, the experts said it was desirable for Japan to keep its containment policies until the number of new infections fell to a certain unspecified level. The experts also said some regions needed to keep strict restrictions while others could start to ease them.

Mr Abe declared the emergency on April 7 for Tokyo and several other prefectures and later extended it nationwide. Japan has had more than 14,000 cases and 436 deaths.

Reuters