Japan Seeks to Extend COVID Emergency Curbs in Tokyo, Other Areas

Japan Seeks to Extend COVID Emergency Curbs in Tokyo, Other Areas
People walk in Shibuya shopping area, during a state of emergency amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Tokyo, Japan Aug. 29, 2021. Androniki Christodoulou/Reuters
|Updated:

Tokyo—Japan’s government said on Thursday it plans to extend emergency COVID-19 restrictions in Tokyo and other regions in a bid to curb infections and prevent hospitals from being overwhelmed, saying it is still too early to let down its guard.

Japan has been struggling with a fifth wave of the virus and last month extended its long-running curbs until Sunday to cover about 80 percent of its population.