Japan could ease virus restrictions and resume economic activities

In an official announcement, Japan indicated that it could ease some of the restrictions from the coronavirus pandemic on economic activities and businesses. With proper social distancing measures, the parks, museums and other recreational premises might be allowed to resume in weeks ahead, Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura told the press conference as of May 3.  

This comes as the country, with over 14,571 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus was set to announce the extension of the partial lockdown and the state of health emergency to stem the pathogen’s contamination. With some proper preventive measures are in place, it could be possible for Japan to reopen some of the activities in the country, Nishimura said at a news conference held on May 3. Among those could be some parks, museums, art galleries, and libraries in the 13 prefectures with low cases of the infection. He added that the premises can be timely disinfected and social distancing measures can be ensured to control the rate of transmission as restrictions lift.  

Earlier, Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told the press conference that he will consult with the health experts on whether to extend a national state of emergency or lift the confinement measures like the other nations. Although Japan has no enforcement for the lockdown, there are restrictions on the non-essential movement of the citizens and business operation, as per media reports.  

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Expert advice needed

The current emergency declaration, however, was to conclude on May 6, at the end of the Golden Week national holidays in Japan which would allow citizens to do the movement. As the government fears the second wave of the pandemic to spread across Japan, and its low testing regime, PM Abe reportedly said he would depend on the expert advice and detailed analysis. 

Nevertheless, under Japan’s state of emergency, many have been witnessed flouting the confinements. While some still have to commute for the jobs despite risks of exposure to the coronavirus, others were also witnessed to dine out at establishments functional with scant regard for measures. Ahead of the “Golden Week” holidays, Tokyo was packed with crowd lured with “socializing” according to local media reports. Experts warned, that while the country declared the state of a health emergency, “the sense” of health emergency amongst the citizen lacked. 

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Read: Japan Central Bank Eases Monetary Policy To Boost Economy

(Image Credit: AP)