Japan is bracing for its eighth wave of coronavirus infections as the number of cases continues to soar, with 78,300 new cases reported on Thursday. But no restrictions have been reimposed so far.
Shigeru Omi, the head of a government COVID-19 expert panel, said Thursday that Hokkaido recorded the highest increase among Japan’s 47 prefectures, with 8,457 new cases, followed by Tokyo with 7,969 cases, and Kanagawa with 5,190.
Omi said that Japan is entering its eighth wave of COVID-19 due to the increased cases. The virus transmission rate is expected to be higher in regions with cold weather due to poor ventilation, Kyodo News
reported.Haruo Ozaki, chairman of the Tokyo Medical Association, also stated that Japan is “entering an eighth wave” of COVID-19 and urged people to get vaccinated as soon as possible to prevent the virus from spreading further.
Meanwhile, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said Wednesday that Japan will not impose restrictions due to the low severity of the virus. The current dominant strain in Japan is the BA.5 Omicron subvariant.
“Our basic stance is that we will carry on with our social and economic activities and will not restrict people’s behavior while taking measures to prevent the spread of the virus,” he told reporters, The Japan Times
reported.The government will
instead allow prefectures to declare enhanced measures if infections in their areas continue to rise. Matsuno also urged people to get a booster shot and to stock up on antigen tests and fever medication.
Japan has lifted most of its COVID-19 measures and
resumed visa-free entry for individual travelers last month. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida
said in September that Japan would further relax its border measures and remove the daily arrival cap to support the tourism industry.