Connect with us

News

Japan’s Hokkaido declares state of emergency over virus

Published

on

FILE: City of Kushiro in Hokkaido, Japan (Photo by Chatama/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0)

TOKYO — Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido declared a state of emergency on Friday over the rapid spread of the new virus there.

Hokkaido Gov. Naomichi Suzuki said the emergency will continue until mid-March.

Suzuki, wearing a face mask, urged all residents to stay home this weekend, which he said is a critical time to keep the situation from worsening.

“We have been to contain the virus, but the situation is turning more serious,” Suzuki said. “In order to protect yourself and your loved ones, please refrain from going outside this weekend.”

Since the first patient was detected in late January, the island prefecture has seen a steady increase in the number of patients, with the pace accelerating in recent days. As of Friday, Hokkaido has 63 confirmed cases, including two deaths.

Public health and virus experts have raised concerns about the developments in Hokkaido, saying clusters of infections with unknown transmission routes have emerged. The central government sent a team of experts to investigate this week.

Suzuki said cases have spread around the island, and that six people tested positive after going to an exhibit in Kitami City in a suspected mass infection.

The spread of domestic infections occurred while the central government was busy handling the quarantine of more than 3,700 people on the cruise ship Diamond Princess, where more than 700 passengers and crew members became infected.

Amid growing criticisms of his leadership and crisis management, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has asked schools throughout Japan to close until the end of March.

 

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Maria in Vancouver

Lifestyle4 days ago

How To Do Christmas & Hanukkah This Year

Christmas 2024 is literally just around the corner! Here in Vancouver, we just finished celebrating Taylor Swift’s last leg of...

Lifestyle1 month ago

Nobody Wants This…IRL (In Real Life)

Just like everyone else who’s binged on Netflix series, “Nobody Wants This” — a romcom about a newly single rabbi...

Lifestyle1 month ago

Family Estrangement: Why It’s Okay

Family estrangement is the absence of a previously long-standing relationship between family members via emotional or physical distancing to the...

Lifestyle3 months ago

Becoming Your Best Version

By Matter Laurel-Zalko As a woman, I’m constantly evolving. I’m constantly changing towards my better version each year. Actually, I’m...

Lifestyle3 months ago

The True Power of Manifestation

I truly believe in the power of our imagination and that what we believe in our lives is an actual...

Maria in Vancouver4 months ago

DECORATE YOUR HOME 101

By Matte Laurel-Zalko Our home interiors are an insight into our brains and our hearts. It is our own collaboration...

Maria in Vancouver4 months ago

Guide to Planning a Wedding in 2 Months

By Matte Laurel-Zalko Are you recently engaged and find yourself in a bit of a pickle because you and your...

Maria in Vancouver5 months ago

Staying Cool and Stylish this Summer

By Matte Laurel-Zalko I couldn’t agree more when the great late Ella Fitzgerald sang “Summertime and the livin’ is easy.”...

Maria in Vancouver5 months ago

Ageing Gratefully and Joyfully

My 56th trip around the sun is just around the corner! Whew. Wow. Admittedly, I used to be afraid of...

Maria in Vancouver6 months ago

My Love Affair With Pearls

On March 18, 2023, my article, The Power of Pearls was published. In that article, I wrote about the history...