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Bloomberg
Tokyo saw a spike in coronavirus cases with 34 new infections confirmed on Tuesday, the most in a single day in more than three weeks, with the local government reportedly planning to issue an alert to residents to exercise extra caution. The step could lead to businesses in the capital again being asked to close their doors if a surge continues.
Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike is set to issue what she has dubbed a “Tokyo Alert,†broadcaster TBS reported, without citing anyone. While the alert itself won’t immediately trigger any new restrictions, if cases continue to climb after it’s issued, the city has said it may reinstate its call for companies to shut and residents to stay at home.
Koike has laid out three criteria for issuing the alert, including more than 20 newly reported cases in a day, half of those unable to be traced, and infections rising from the previous week. The city’s scenic Rainbow Bridge would be lit red if the alert is triggered.
The jump in cases comes a week after a national state of emergency order was lifted in the Tokyo region. As newly confirmed cases had fallen in some days to single figures, footfall at major stations and passenger numbers on trains have begun to return to near pre-pandemic levels, with establishments from gyms to schools re-opening their doors.