China News Service, May 20. According to a report by the Japan Broadcasting Association (NHK) on the 20th, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government of Japan has jointly conducted an investigation on the amount of new coronavirus samples collected from wastewater treatment plants in Tokyo.
Data map: During the epidemic, a store in Tokyo, Japan conducted a temperature test on customers entering the store. China News Agency reporter Lu Shaowei
According to reports, the relevant departments of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government will collect samples from about 15 wastewater treatment plants in the metropolis every week and store them in a frozen storage. Subsequently, it will cooperate with the "Japan Society of Water Environment" to investigate the amount of virus in wastewater samples.
According to reports, the sampling plan continued until the end of the emergency. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government expressed its hope that this analysis method could be improved in order to grasp the signs of the development of the epidemic in advance. The staff of the Tokyo Metropolitan Sewerage Bureau also said, "If you can notice the development of the outbreak from the wastewater, you can ring the alarm for prevention and control in advance."
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced on 7 April that Tokyo and other seven prefectures have entered a state of emergency, and on April 16 the scope of application was extended to all parts of Japan. On May 4, in view of the fact that the epidemic was not clearly controlled, Abe announced an extension of the state of emergency until May 31. On May 14, the Japanese government canceled the emergency of 39 prefectures, but 8 prefectures including Tokyo and Osaka are still in emergency.