Japan might halt its travel subsidy campaign in more cities amid surge in new COVID cases

Due to the rising cases of coronavirus, Japan may halt its national travel subsidy campaign in the cities of Tokyo and Nagoya, according to local media reports. On December 13, Japan’s Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura said that the government plans to hold discussions with governors of the regions experiencing an increase in the number of infections on whether to suspend some cities from the “Go to” travel programme. 

Nishimura, who is in charge of coronavirus policy, said that the officials have been discussing the issue and measures with governors of the cities with areas designated stage three. He added that he is also planning to have talks with them, including Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike, on Sunday afternoon. When asked about whether he was considering a suspension of the travel subsidy campaign nationwide, he said that he doesn’t think there are risks in regions where infections haven’t risen, such as Shimane Prefecture and Tottori Prefecture. 

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Japan’s travel subsidy campaign aims to boost the economy by discounting travel. The campaign has, however, come under fire because of concerns that it may be linked to a surge in coronavirus cases. On Saturday, the country had recorded over 3,000 new cases, the Health Ministry informed. 

Now, amid the rising new infections, the Japanese government is considering suspending Tokyo and Nagoya from the programme until December 25. As per reports, travel to the cities of Osaka and Sapporo has already been suspended until December 15 and this may be extended. Further, Tokyo has already asked people aged 65 and older and those with underlying health conditions to refrain from making trips to or from the capital using the travel subsidy campaign until December 17. 

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COVID-19 outbreak in Japan 

Meanwhile, earlier, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga had stressed the need for “utmost caution” as the country’s number of confirmed cases reached a record number. Suga said that the government needed the cooperation of its citizens to avoid introducing stricter anti-virus measures. He urged citizens to wear masks, wash hands and avoid any close contact. 

The number of cases has been surging nationwide, with major cities such as Osaka and Hokkaido prefectures hitting the highest infection cases. Japan has not had a complete lockdown, however, some businesses were ordered to close and people were asked to work from home after the government issued a national state of emergency in April. According to the Johns Hopkins University tally, Japan has recorded over 178,000 cases, with nearly 2,462 deaths so far. 

(Image: AP)

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