Abe says virus surge prompts emergency

Bloomberg

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe warned Tokyo could be facing as many as 80,000 confirmed coronavirus cases in a month if no action is taken as he declared a state of emergency in the capital and its surrounding regions.
In what Abe said was the country’s greatest economic crisis since the end of World War Two, he declared a one-month emergency period from April 7 that will cover Osaka, Kanagawa, Saitama, Chiba, Hyogo and Fukuoka prefectures as well as the capital. The move hands powers to local governments to try to contain the spread of the virus that causes Covid-19, including by urging residents to stay at home.
“Apart from essential services, I want all office workers to work from home,” Abe told a news conference adding if no intervention takes place, infections could reach about 80,000 in a month. Facilities meant
for the now-delayed Tokyo Olympics will be re-purposed to house about 800 people with mild infections and the government has arranged for housing in thousands of hotel rooms in Tokyo and Osaka, he said.
According to experts’ calculations, if people reduce contact by at least 70% or 80%, in two weeks the increase in infections will peak out, Abe said. A recent spike in infections — reaching a total of about 4,000 from less than 400 just a month ago — has sparked concerns Japan is headed for a crisis on the levels seen in the US and several countries in Europe.
Despite the warning, though, life was little changed for many on the first day after the declaration. Japan’s Mainichi newspaper published a series of photos showing crowded conditions on morning commuter trains. Abe said essential public services will operate as normal and he wants businesses to reduce numbers in the workplace by about 70%.
Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike told a separate news conference that she’ll announce what businesses the city will request to close. The areas covered by the declaration represent about half of Japan’s economy. Japanese companies were preparing to close retail stores, restaurants, movie theatres and offices,
while expanding work-from-home policies under the order.