Tokyo reports highest daily COVID-19 cases since emergency lifted

Masked pedestrians walk past a billboard reminding people on social distancing practices amid the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic in Tokyo (Photo: AFP)


The Tokyo metropolitan government has said that 57 new cases of COVID-19 infections had been confirmed in the Japanese capital, the highest single-day count since the state of emergency was lifted on May 25.

The number of people in the capital who have tested positive now stands at 6,054, the Tokyo metropolitan government said, with the latest increase marked the second straight day that the daily number in the capital has topped 50.

On Saturday, according to the officials, among the newly confirmed 57 cases, 41 are people in their 20’s and 30’s, accounting for around 70 percent of the total.

Across the country, the confirmed COVID-19 cases increased by 89 to reach 18,406, according to the latest figures from the Health Ministry and local authorities on Saturday.

Last month, at a press conference, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike urged continued cooperation from the citizens and said that everything depended on the will and behavior of people as long as no vaccines were available.

Japan lifted a nationwide state of emergency over the coronavirus gradually reopening the world’s third-largest economy as government officials warned caution was still necessary to prevent another wave.

The death toll in Japan from the pneumonia-causing virus currently stands at a total of 985 people, according to the Ministry, with the figure including those from the cruise ship.

It also said that in total, 17,110 people, including 658 from the cruise ship, have been discharged from hospitals after their symptoms improved.

Earlier, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had warned that people would have to adapt to a “new normal” and continue to avoid the “three Cs” — closed spaces, crowded places and close contact.

Meanwhile, the number of coronavirus disease acorss the world crossed the 10 million mark late on Saturday night. According to Worldometre, the number is 51 more than 10 million.