The country reported 4,527 new cases and 51 deaths Tuesday, bringing the national total to almost 300,000, with a death toll of 4,158. More than 61,500 patients are in hospitals across the country, which have been struggling to deal with a spike in cases brought on in part by freezing winter temperatures.
Tokyo, previously among the worst hit areas, reported 970 new cases Tuesday, the first time the Japanese capital’s daily tally has dropped below 1,000 in over a week. The total number of confirmed cases in Tokyo now stands at 77,133.
The new announcement expands the order to Osaka, Kyoto, Hyogo, Aichi, Gifu, Tochigi and Fukuoka, covering much of Japan’s main island of Honshu. Eleven prefectures in total are now under emergency measures.
The state of emergency orders companies to encourage their staff to work from…