Here are the latest updates from Japan and beyond on the coronavirus outbreak:
As of 11:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 25 (Japan time)
- Japan's Finance Ministry is closely watching global stock markets and will act to support the domestic economy if needed, as market volatility is increasing on concerns over the impact of the coronavirus outbreak on the worldwide economy, a senior official said Tuesday.
- Some medical experts have started to warn that using alcohol-based hand sanitizers too much as a protective measure against the new coronavirus raging in China could inversely raise the risk of infection through skin disorders.
- All Nippon Airways Co. said Tuesday it will suspend all remaining flights from Kansai airport in Osaka to China next month due to a drop in demand following the coronavirus outbreak in the neighboring country.
- The J-League said Tuesday it will postpone all official matches scheduled until March 15 to combat the spread of the new coronavirus in Japan. The Yomiuri Giants said their two preseason games against Central League rival Yakult Swallows on the weekend will be played behind closed doors at Tokyo Dome amid the spread of a new coronavirus.
- Authorities across China have begun slowly pulling back on emergency response measures against the new pneumonia-causing coronavirus as Beijing strives to mitigate the fallout on the world's second-largest economy.
- North Korea's most influential newspaper on Tuesday urged citizens to refrain from gathering at restaurants for meals together to prevent infection of the new pneumonia-causing coronavirus raging in China.
- One of the Asia-Pacific region's largest multinational military exercises, Cobra Gold, kicked off in Thailand on Tuesday, with this year's event taking place under the heavy cloud of the fast-spreading novel coronavirus.
- South Korea is set to look into the health of every member of a religious group at the center of an outbreak of the new coronavirus in the country as it reported 60 new cases on Tuesday to bring the nation's total infections to 893.
- Seven countries have restricted entry to Japanese nationals and those traveling from Japan in an effort to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said Tuesday.
- Japan adopted Tuesday a basic policy to cope with a further spread of the new coronavirus that would put a strain on its medical system, calling for a more efficient use of hospitals to better treat infected people with serious symptoms.
- The number of deaths in mainland China from the new coronavirus has risen by 71 to 2,663, with confirmed infections reaching 77,658, the country's health authorities said Tuesday.
- The United States and South Korea are considering scaling back joint military exercises planned for the spring over the outbreak of the new coronavirus, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Monday.
As of 11 p.m. Monday, Feb. 24 (Japan time)
- The Japanese government will advise residents in areas where the number of people infected with the coronavirus notably increases to stay home, as part of its guideline to be unveiled on Tuesday, sources close to the matter said.
- Two more people who were evacuated from the virus-stricken Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan have tested positive for the new coronavirus while under quarantine in Hong Kong.
- The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, China's parliamentary body, formally decided to postpone the annual meeting of the top legislature scheduled for early March, as the country grapples with the outbreak of the pneumonia-causing coronavirus.
- The number of deaths in China from the novel coronavirus has risen by 150 to 2,592 on the mainland, with the total number of confirmed infections reaching 77,150, the country's health authorities said.
- North Korea has quarantined around 380 foreigners across the country in an attempt to prevent an outbreak of the coronavirus raging in neighbor China, state-run media said.
- South Korea reported 231 more confirmed coronavirus cases, most of which are linked to a religious group, and two more deaths.
- The two-day gathering of the Group of 20 finance chiefs ended with a commitment to mobilize all policy tools to keep the global economy on track amid increasing concerns over the ripple effects of the coronavirus shock that has left China largely idle.
Useful resources for foreign residents and visitors in Japan:
- Japan National Tourism Organization's "Guide for when you are feeling ill"
- Multilingual clinic/hospital search available in English, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Japanese
https://www.jnto.go.jp/emergency/eng/mi_guide.html - JNTO's "Japan Visitor Hotline"
- Available in English, Chinese, Korean and Japanese 24 hours a day
050-3816-2787
+81-50-3816-2787 (from overseas)
http://www.mlit.go.jp/kankocho/content/001328767.pdf - Japan's health ministry hotline
- Available in Japanese only, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
0120-565653 - World Health Organization's "Q&A on coronaviruses"
https://www.who.int/news-room/q-a-detail/q-a-coronaviruses
