Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is facing a public backlash after he said the government would distribute two reusable cloth face masks per household amid growing concern over medical shortages as the country faces a worsening coronavirus outbreak.
Tokyo
The number of confirmed cases of the virus has spiked in recent weeks, after it appeared that Japan's initial response had got the virus relatively under control. As of Wednesday, there were more than 2,300 cases across Japan, and 57 deaths, according to a Johns Hopkins University tally. That spike has seen a raft of new restrictions put in place in Tokyo and other major cities, and a run on protective gear, including face masks.
Experts call for more testing as coronavirus worsens 03:05Read MoreThe anger comes as Abe resisted calls Wednesday to declare a state of emergency, saying that use of such powers was not imminent. A declaration of a state of emergency would allow prefectural governors to send out a stronger message when it comes to urging the public to stay at home, but the measures will not be legally binding. Last week, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike urged residents in the city of roughly 13.
— 北村ヂン April 1, 2020 Over the past week, Japan has scrambled to avert an explosive surge in infections. While the current tally stands at around 2,300 cases, Japan -- a country of over 127 million people -- has only tested just over 30,000, compared with 394,000 tests carried out in neighboring South Korea, which has a population of just over 51 million.
Pandemic takes toll on small sushi joints in Japan 02:42On Wednesday, medical experts warned that Japan's healthcare system would not be able to bear the strain if coronavirus infections continued to spread.A government panel warned that though Japan has not seen an explosive increase in infections so far, hospitals and medical clinics in Tokyo, Aichi, Kanagawa, Osaka and Hyogo were increasingly stretched and that"drastic countermeasures need to be taken as quickly as possible.
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