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18 prefs. added: Jan 27 - Feb 20
Japan has expanded quasi-emergency measures to 18 more prefectures, including Osaka, Kyoto and Hokkaido. Now, 34 of the country's 47 prefectures are subject to stricter restrictions.
The measures are designed to help local governments ease the burden on healthcare systems and curb infections.
The targeted prefectures are: Hokkaido, Aomori, Yamagata, Fukushima, Ibaraki, Tochigi, Ishikawa, Nagano, Shizuoka, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyogo, Shimane, Okayama, Fukuoka, Saga, Oita and Kagoshima. (Scroll down for links to each prefecture’s specific measures.)
Measures extended in 3 prefectures
Quasi-emergency measures in Okinawa, Yamaguchi, and Hiroshima have been extended until February 20. They were initially set to the expire on January 31. Measures in Yamaguchi, which originally only covered Iwakuni City and Waki Town, have been expanded to cover the entire prefecture.
Click here to learn more about measures in Okinawa, Yamaguchi, and Hiroshima.
Click here to learn more about measures in Tokyo and 12 prefectures.
Hospital occupancy rates rise
Infections are surging at an unprecedented rate. On January 26, a record 71,633 cases were confirmed nationwide. On the same day, Osaka prefecture reported its highest number of cases to date: 9,813.
Hospitals in Osaka were at 35.8 percent occupancy as of January 20, exceeding the 35-percent mark the prefectural government set as its threshold for asking the central government for tighter restrictions. The following day, the governments of Osaka, Kyoto and Hyogo asked the central government for the measures.
By January 25, the hospital occupancy rate in Osaka, Hyogo, Gunma, Ishikawa, Gifu, Hiroshima, Yamaguchi, Kumamoto, and Okinawa had exceeded 50 percent.
The central government said on January 25 that infection rate and medical situation warranted an alert level two on a scale of zero to five.
Click here to learn more about Japan’s 5-point scale assessment.
Key measures
The central government plans to focus on three key measures:
- Prioritizing hospital care for patients at risk of moderate to severe illness.
- Caring for patients with mild symptoms recuperating at home.
- Implementing measures to maintain social and economic activity.
The government is also working to meet the growing demand for test kits and speed up its booster shot rollout.
Broad measures to target prefs.
Measures related to dining, excursions and events are as follows. For additional details specific to each prefecture, follow the links below.
Dining
Eating and drinking establishments whose anti-virus measures have been certified by local governments can choose between two business schedules: 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. with no alcohol; or 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., with alcohol sales ending at 8 p.m. Uncertified establishments are asked to stop serving alcohol and close at 8 p.m.
Takeout and delivery can continue unrestricted.
Group dining is capped at four people. But five or more will be allowed at certain certified establishments if they can all produce proof of negative test results.
Subsidies
Certified establishments that comply with the request and do not serve alcohol will be compensated depending on revenue, with those that opt to continue serving alcohol receiving lower amounts.
Non-certified establishments that comply with the request will be compensated depending on revenue.
Excursions
People are asked to refrain from non-essential outings beyond prefectural borders, avoid crowded places and busy hours, and refrain from visiting dining establishments that do not comply with requests.
Companies
Companies and business organizations are asked to implement teleworking and stagger hours.
Events
For large-scale events, organizers can allow up to 20,000 people if they believe the audience will be quiet and submit a plan outlining anti-infection measures to local authorities.
For smaller events, the attendance cap is set at 5,000 if organizers believe the audience will be quiet. If they expect a noisy crowd, organizers must operate at half capacity and create checklists outlining anti-infection measures and publish them online.
Hokkaido
The entire prefecture is subject to the measures.
https://www.pref.hokkaido.lg.jp/covid-19/index.html
Aomori
Hirosaki City is subject to the measures.
https://www.pref.aomori.lg.jp/koho/aomori_manenboushi.html
Yamagata
Six municipalities are subject to the measures: the cities of Yamagata, Sakata and Tsuruoka, and the towns of Yuza, Shonai and Mikawa.
https://www.pref.yamagata.jp/020072/bosai/kochibou/kikikanri/covid19/coronavirus.html
Fukushima
Five municipalities are subject to the measures: the cities of Iwaki, Koriyama, Fukushima, Aizuwakamatsu and Minamisoma.
https://www.pref.fukushima.lg.jp/site/covid19-portal/covid19-foreign.html
Ibaraki
The entire prefecture is subject to the measures.
https://www.pref.ibaraki.jp/seikatsukankyo/josei/kenmin/coronavirus_top.html
Tochigi
The entire prefecture is subject to the measures.
https://www.pref.tochigi.lg.jp/e04/welfare/hoken-eisei/kansen/hp/manbou_taiou.html
Ishikawa
The entire prefecture is subject to the measures.
https://www.pref.ishikawa.lg.jp/
Nagano
The entire prefecture is subject to the measures.
https://www.pref.nagano.lg.jp/
Shizuoka
The entire prefecture is subject to the measures.
https://www.pref.shizuoka.jp/kinkyu/covid-19.html
Kyoto
The entire prefecture is subject to the measures.
http://www.pref.kyoto.jp/kokusai/coronavirus_update.html
Osaka
The entire prefecture is subject to the measures.
https://www.pref.osaka.lg.jp/default.html
Hyogo
The entire prefecture is subject to the measures.
https://web.pref.hyogo.lg.jp/
Shimane
The entire prefecture is subject to the measures.
https://www.pref.shimane.lg.jp/top.html
Okayama
The entire prefecture is subject to the measures.
https://www.pref.okayama.jp/
Fukuoka
The entire prefecture is subject to the measures.
https://www.pref.fukuoka.lg.jp/site/english/en-living-infection-c4-1.html
Saga
The entire prefecture is subject to the measures.
https://www.pref.saga.lg.jp/
Oita
The entire prefecture is subject to the measures.
https://www.pref.oita.jp/site/covid19-oita/
Kagoshima
The entire prefecture is subject to the measures.
https://www.pref.kagoshima.jp/kenko-fukushi/covid19/index.html
This information is accurate as of January 27, 2022.