Here are the latest updates from Japan and beyond on the coronavirus outbreak:
As of 10 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 22 (Japan time)
- South Korea on Saturday reported another 229 cases of the new coronavirus, its largest daily increase so far, with most occurring in a hospital and among members of a religious group.
- Passengers of a coronavirus-hit cruise ship in Yokohama who shared cabins with those found infected, disembarked Saturday for further monitoring.
- Japan is considering using Avigan, an anti-influenza medication developed by a Fujifilm Holdings Corp. group company, to treat patients of the new coronavirus, health minister Katsunobu Kato said Saturday.
- More than 200 port calls in Japan by international cruise ships have been canceled since the beginning of February due to the impact of the coronavirus outbreak, a Kyodo News survey showed Saturday.
- Eighteen of the more than 300 Americans evacuated from the coronavirus-hit cruise ship Diamond Princess docked near Tokyo are confirmed to have been infected, U.S. health authorities say.
As of 11 p.m., Friday, Feb. 21 (Japan time)
- A plane chartered by Taiwan's government on Friday evacuated 19 citizens who were previously aboard the coronavirus-stricken Diamond Princess.
- Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike criticized Friday a London mayoral candidate who has said the city could host the games in place of Tokyo in the wake of the outbreak.
- Japan's health ministry said Friday it will encourage more companies to promote telework and staggered working hours as part of efforts to prevent further spread of the new coronavirus.
- Airlines in the Asia-Pacific region will lose $27.8 billion in revenues in 2020 due to the coronavirus crisis, an industry body estimated Thursday, with global demand for flights falling for the first time since the 2008 financial crisis.
- China recorded fewer than 1,000 new coronavirus infections in two consecutive days earlier this week, its health authorities said Friday, after the country stopped including clinically diagnosed cases of the pneumonia-causing virus in its tally.
- Japan will make preparations to host the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics this summer as planned, the top government spokesman said Friday, though prospects for containment of the new coronavirus remain elusive.
- The Japan Table Tennis Association has agreed to take in about 50 members of China's national table tennis team who are unable to return home in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, association sources said Friday.
- South Korea reported a further 52 new coronavirus infections on Friday, amid signs that more cases would likely emerge among members of a religious group.
- Indonesia and the Philippines plan to send planes to repatriate citizens aboard the Diamond Princess, a coronavirus-hit cruise ship docked in Yokohama, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said Friday.
- The Australian government said Friday that two of the roughly 160 people evacuated to Australia from the virus-stricken Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan have tested positive for the new coronavirus, according to local media.
- All 747 crew members on board the Westerdam, now docked in Cambodia, have tested negative for the novel coronavirus, the cruise ship's operator said.
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
