A stay home order is in effect in Tokyo, Japan. Japan's health ministry said today that the country had more than 500 new cases for the first time on Wednesday, bringing the national total to 4,768 _ excluding hundreds from a cruise ship quarantined near Tokyo earlier this year. The step allows Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike and six other prefectural leaders to issue stricter measures of social distancing, but without penalties to violators. So far, Koike only issued a stay-at-home request to the residents. Requests for closures of noon-essential businesses and services are still under way.

Source: The Standard April 09, 2020 09:22 UTC