Japan's Suga declares state of emergency in Tokyo, 3 neighboring prefectures over COVID-19 - China.org.cn

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga declared a state of emergency in the Tokyo metropolitan area including Tokyo, Saitama, Chiba and Kanagawa prefectures on Thursday, authorizing tougher measures to fight a resurgence in COVID-19 infections.

"The situation has worsened recently nationwide, and I feel a strong sense of crisis," Suga said at a meeting of the government's task force on the pandemic response.

"We will take thorough steps," Suga said as he pledged to improve the COVID-19 situation in Japan within one month.

The state of emergency will be effective from Friday to Feb. 7, with measures including urging people to stay at home and calling for restaurants and bars to stop serving alcohol by 7 p.m. and close by 8 p.m.

Suga asked younger people to avoid making unnecessary outings in order to prevent the further spread of the pandemic and protect the lives of others.

He also said the government will provide up to 1.8 million yen (17,400 U.S. dollars) per month to each food and drink facility that complies with the government's request to shorten operating hours.