Coronavirus Outbreak: Japan confirms 9th death as Hokkaido declares emergency

The Northern Japanese island of Hokkaido has declared a state of emergency amid the rapid spread of Covid-19 in Japan. The emergency was declared by Hokkaido Gov. Naomichi Suzuki on February 28 following the ninth death on the island due to the deadly virus. According to the governor the emergency is scheduled to last unlit mid-March.

Next few weeks are critical

According to reports, Suzuki said, that they have been able to successfully contain the virus but the situation seems to be worsening. The Governor has reportedly appealed to the citizens of Hokkaido to not leave their homes this weekend for the sake of their loved ones. Hokkaido has as of Friday reported 63 cases and also two deaths because of novel coronavirus.

According to reports, the alarming situation in Hokkaido is because clusters of infections have emerged with unknown transmission routes. The situation was grave enough that the central government sent a team to the island to investigate the infection.

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Read: Japan's Hokkaido Declares State Of Emergency Over Virus

On Friday, Japan's Prime Minister defended his call for schools across the country to close over the new coronavirus. The call for school closures came as Japan steps up its response to the outbreak, with Tokyo's Disney resorts and Universal Studios Japan announcing they would close for around two weeks -- the latest in a string of closures and cancellations.

Xi Jinping to visit Japan

Tokyo confirmed that Chinese President Xi Jinping’s first state visit to Japan won’t be cancelled over the coronavirus epidemic that has killed more than 2,800 people worldwide. During a daily news conference, Japan's Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said that the Chinese President will visit the country as expected and preparation are calmly underway.

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Suda said that the government will cover all the bases to produce fruitful results from Jinping’s visit to Japan. The exact dates of Jinping's visit have not been confirmed yet as both countries are scrambling to contain the deadly virus. Apart from the cases on Diamond Princess cruise ship that was quarantined off the Japanese coast, the number of cases in Japan rose to 186 on February 26.