TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Thursday expanded a state of emergency due to the coronavirus to cover the whole country to stem the growing spread of the disease. Abe had already declared a month-long state of emergency in seven regions, including Tokyo, where a recent spike in cases has prompted warnings that emergency medical facilities could collapse. He said the state of emergency would remain in force until May 6. Japan has so far seen a relatively small outbreak of the virus — despite recording its first case in mid-January — with around 8,500 infections and 136 deaths by Thursday. Japan’s two emergency medical associations this week issued a joint statement warning they are “already sensing the collapse of the emergency medical system”, with hospitals unable to deal with patients suffering from non-coronavirus ailments.

Source: Manila Times April 16, 2020 11:48 UTC