Covid live news: Johnson faces outrage over lockdown birthday; Japan to impose restrictions on 70% of the country




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Japan to place 70% of the country under new Covid curbs

Japan is expected to expand quasi-emergency measures to more parts of the country from Thursday in an attempt to stem a surge in Omicron cases.

Restrictions on opening hours and alcohol sales at bars and restaurants are already in place in 16 of the country’s 47 prefectures, but the measures will go into effect in a further 18 prefectures from Thursday until 20 February, according to the Kyodo news agency.

The prime minister, Fumio Kishida, is expected to announce the new measures, covering more than 70% of the country, later today.

The western prefectures of Osaka and Kyoto are among the areas covered by the measures.

Pedestrians wearing protective face masks cross the road at Umeda district in Osaka, Japan.

Pedestrians wearing protective face masks cross the road at Umeda district in Osaka, Japan. Photograph: Buddhika Weerasinghe/Getty Images

The advisory panel is also expected to greenlight an extension through 20 February of the so-called quasi-emergency measures prevailing in three regions.

The measures have prompted complaints that Japan’s nighttime economy is being unfairly targeted as governors in those regions can request restaurants and bars to shorten business hours and stop serving alcohol.

Mitsuru Saga, the manager of an izakayapub in Tokyo, said he would serve alcohol but close at 8pm, even though he will receive less compensation from the government. “We can’t do business without serving alcohol,” Saga told Nippon TV. “It seems only eateries are targeted for restraints.”

Packed trains and crowded shopping districts suggest people are tiring of requests to limit their movements two years into the pandemic, although mask wearing is still the norm.

Japan logged more than 44,000 new cases on Monday, a tally by public broadcaster NHK showed.

Kishida is coming under increasing pressure to speed up Japan’s booster rollout. While about 80% of of the 125 million population has received two vaccine doses, less than 2% has received a booster shot.




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source: theguardian.com