Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said Wednesday he is considering extending a coronavirus state of emergency in the Tokyo region for about two weeks because of concerns that infections have not slowed enough and are continuing to strain medical systems in the region.
Suga declared a month-long state of emergency on Jan. 7 for Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama and Chiba, and then extended it through March 7. An emergency issued for up to 10 other urban prefectures later in January was lifted last week, underscoring the governments eagerness to allow businesses to return to normal as soon as possible.
Our anti-infection measures are in a very important phase, Suga told reporters Wednesday. In order to protect peoples lives and health, I think we need to extend (the state of emergency) for about two weeks.
The state of emergency centers around asking restaurants, bars and other businesses to…