Coronavirus: state of emergency extended throughout national territory

Yesterday there were 300 more positive cases. There are 9,000 infections and 162 deaths in the country. A study by the Ministry of Health says that if measures are not taken to stop the infection, there will be up to 450 thousand infected and 850 thousand sick people who need ventilation.

Tokyo (AsiaNews) - Yesterday evening, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s government decided to extend the state of emergency across national territory to stop the spread of the coronavirus. Up to now this emergency had only been declared for Tokyo and six prefectures: Kanagawa, Saitama, Chiba, Osaka, Hyogo and Fukuoka.

The state of emergency will last until May 7. The government decision, which puts the whole country in quarantine, is due to the growth of Covid-19 positive cases, with Tokyo the epicenter. Yesterday's data show that infections across the country have exceeded the quota of 9 thousand people, with an increase of 300 cases in a single day. Of these, 149 occurred in Tokyo. The dead are 162.

The decision to block the country - with serious economic consequences – came after the study of a group linked to the Ministry of Health, which found that if no measures are taken to stop the infection, there is a risk that the coronavirus will cause 420 thousand deaths and the need to intubate (in intensive care) at least 850 thousand patients. Instead, the simple application of the rules of social distance can reduce contacts between people by 80% and drastically lower deaths and hospitalizations.

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