Japan PM Suga considering two-week extension of COVID-19 state of emergency for Tokyo region

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FILE PHOTO: Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga speaks during a meeting of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) infection control headquarters at the prime minister’s office in Tokyo, Japan January 22, 2021. Kazuhiro Nogi/Pool via REUTERS

TOKYO (Reuters) – Japanโ€™s Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said on Wednesday the government is considering a two-week extension of a state of emergency in the Tokyo area due to the pressure on the medical system from COVID-19 cases.

โ€œI think that about two weeks will be necessary, so I would like to make a final decision after hearing the opinions of the experts and people concerned,โ€ Suga told reporters.

While new coronavirus cases have fallen significantly from a peak in early January, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike said on Tuesday the pace of decline had slowed, expressing concern that it may not be enough to lift restrictions.

The government had in January placed 11 of its 47 prefectures under emergency restrictions to run to March 7, lifting them early for all but the Greater Tokyo metropolitan area which includes Kanagawa, Saitama and Chiba prefectures.

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