Japan announced a limited state of emergency in Tokyo, and three neighboring prefectures of Saitama, Kanagawa and Chiba. 30% of the country’s population are covered. The one-month emergency measure would run from Friday to February 7. Restaurants and bars are asked to close by 8pm. Residents should refrain from non-urgent outings. Crowds at sports and big events are limited to 5000 people.
“The global pandemic has been a tougher one than we expected, but I’m hopeful we can overcome this,” Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said. “For this to happen, I must ask citizens to endure life with some restrictions.”
