The regions joined the emergency declaration in force until May 31. It already covers the prefectures of Tokyo, Osaka, Hyogo, Kyoto, Aichi and Fukuoka.
The decision to expand the list was made last Friday. Hokkaido was already under extensive infection and this was expected to continue. Government officials were also willing to include Okayama and Hiroshima in this category.
But when the minister in charge of coronavirus measures, Nishimura Yasutoshi, presented the government’s plan at an advisory committee meeting, he met with strong resistance from members who demanded a more powerful response.
“The majority of members argued that the state of emergency was necessary,” the head of the government advisory committee, Omi Shigeru, told reporters after the meeting. “At the end of the discussion, the minister accepted the measures for the three prefectures. “
“The government made its decision in accordance with the experts’ recommendation,” Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide told a news conference. “The government and experts are on the same page and saying this is the time to stop the spread of variants. “
Three other prefectures (Gunma, Ishikawa and Kumamoto) have been designated as extensive virus zones, joining seven other prefectures where the measure is already in effect.
Hokkaido is facing a critical situation. While the number of new cases declined until early April, it has since reversed dramatically. On May 13, the daily total topped 700 for the first time.
Local governments are asking citizens not to faint unless necessary. Restaurants have been asked to maintain their hours of operation and not serve alcohol.
“I want all the citizens of Hokkaido to share a sense of crisis and work together to overcome the situation,” Hokkaido Governor Suzuki Naomichi said.
The prefectural capital, Sapporo, has the highest number of positive cases. As of Sunday, 97% of available hospital beds for the coronavirus were occupied.
Most of the infections come from a variant that originated in the United Kingdom. It was detected in 85% of patients by the second week of May.
KKR Sapporo Medical Center reports that its comprehensive care unit is nearly complete as a growing number of patients develop severe symptoms. Officials say more than a portion of the coronavirus patients they treat are generally in their 20s and 50s.
The president of the Hokkaido Medical Association, Nagase Kiyoshi, says hospitals are facing critical situations.
“The medical formula will no longer be enough if cases continue to rise. Sapporo’s hospitals are on the verge of collapse. “
Facilities across Japan are under pressure. The national coronavirus bed occupancy rate surpassed 50% in 20 prefectures last Wednesday. There are 47 prefectures in total.
This occupancy rate represents the fourth level of the Government’s Coronavirus Advisory Committee’s four-level alert formula. This means that an explosive increase in infections is expected and requires measures to prevent the medical formula from being overwhelmed.