Tokyo Governor Issues Stay-at-Home Request as COVID-19 Cases Jump

Tokyo, March 25 (Jiji Press)--Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike requested the Japanese capital's residents on Wednesday not to leave their home for nonessential purposes over the next weekend, after the number of COVID-19 cases in Tokyo jumped by 41 to 212 on the day. "We're in a critical stage of (avoiding) an (infection) overshoot," or an explosive surge of cases of the coronavirus disease, Koike told a hurriedly called press conference. Tokyo saw a record daily number of new coronavirus cases for the third consecutive day on Wednesday, after the previous day's 17. On Monday, Koike warned that the metropolitan government might have no choice but to take strong measures such as a citywide lockdown, depending on the situation. With 11 of the 41 cases reported Wednesday linked to Eiju General Hospital in Taito Ward, metropolitan government officials have conducted an on-site inspection at the hospital. Meanwhile, five of the new cases involved people who traveled abroad recently. At the press conference, the governor also called for working at home on weekdays and staying at home at night. "Unfortunately, the situation is serious," Koike said. "Cooperation from the people of the capital is necessary" to prevent an explosive surge in infections, she said. In response to a rising number of COVID-19 cases imported from abroad, the metropolitan government urged people to follow a 14-day self-quarantine request after returning from overseas trips. On Wednesday, the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Japan topped 2,000, including those from the virus-hit Diamond Princess cruise ship. Two more fatalities linked to the virus were reported, bringing the country's death toll to 55, including 10 from the cruise ship. The two victims were a woman in her 70s in Nagoya, the 16th victim in the central city, and an elderly man in the northern prefecture of Hokkaido. More than 90 new cases were reported across the country, including the 41 in Tokyo, seven in Osaka Prefecture, six in Aichi Prefecture and five in Chiba Prefecture. In Aomori Prefecture, northeastern Japan, four people in their 60s to 70s in the city of Hachinohe was confirmed to have the virus. They had visited Spain March 9-15. In the southwestern prefecture of Nagasaki, a university student in his 20s was confirmed with the coronavirus, after returning from Britain. Four of the five cases in Chiba involved people who had been overseas recently. In Gunma Prefecture, north of Tokyo, the infection of a nurse in her 40s was reported. She works at the same hospital as a male doctor who was earlier confirmed to be coronavirus-positive. At a press conference on Wednesday, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said that Japan now has a coronavirus testing capacity of more than 7,000 samples a day. He noted, however, that average daily testing over the last week stood at about 1,000 samples. END