Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe declared a month-long state of emergency Tuesday for Tokyo and six other prefectures to ramp up defenses against the spread of the coronavirus as the number of infections surges.
But the move came in the form of a stay-at-home request — not an order — and violators will not be penalized. The news came after the Summer Olympics in Tokyo were recently postponed until 2021.
The COVID-19 outbreak is now rampant and rapidly spreading, threatening people’s health, their daily lives and the economy, Abe said.
The state of emergency is in place until May 6 and will permit Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike and the heads of the six other prefectures to do more to reinforce calls for social distancing. “The most important.