In Japan, the government declared on Friday April 23 a new state of emergency in Tokyo and three other departments, three months before the start of the Olympic Games scheduled in the Japanese capital, in the face of a sharp local upsurge in the coronavirus.

"We have decided to declare a state of emergency in the departments of Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka and Hyogo," Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said, referring to the increase in variants in new infections.

"We have a strong sense of crisis," said the Japanese minister in charge of the fight against the virus, Yasutoshi Nishimura.

"We will not be able to contain the variants which have potent infectious capacities, unless we take stronger measures than so far."

"We absolutely must limit the movement of people, and we must do so decisively," he added. 

The state of emergency is due to take effect on Sunday April 25 and last at least until May 11 in the four regions, which represent a quarter of the country's population.

"No impact on the Tokyo Olympics"

Unlike the previous state of emergency, which only included a reduction in opening hours, establishments serving alcohol will have to close their doors this time, as will department stores and some shopping centers.

According to local media, these measures could be accompanied by the suspension of certain train and bus lines to limit the mobility of the Japanese because these measures will coincide with the "Golden Week" in early May, one of the periods of most important vacation for Japanese people on which they usually travel a lot.

While being more stringent than during the previous state of emergency imposed in parts of the country in January, the measures remain much lighter than the lockdowns decreed in other parts of the world for more than a year.

Authorities in relevant departments are also likely to ban spectator access to sporting events, but officials have said the emergency measures will not affect the staging of the Tokyo Olympics. 

With AFP and Reuters

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