Here are the latest updates from Japan and beyond on the coronavirus outbreak:
(Tokyo)
As of 11 p.m., Monday, March 30 (Japan time)
- The head of the World Health Organization said Monday he wants to make preparations with Japan for the "success" of the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics in telephone talks with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
- Calls grew Monday for Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to declare a state of emergency to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus before it is too late.
- The Tokyo Olympics, which were postponed due to the global coronavirus pandemic, will be held from July 23 to Aug. 8 in 2021, an official with knowledge of the matter said Monday.
- While this summer's Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics were postponed for about a year due to the new coronavirus pandemic, the lingering question is whether the global health crisis will be under control by then.
- Vissel Kobe defender Gotoku Sakai has tested positive for the new coronavirus, the J-League first-division team said Monday.
- Auto production by major Japanese carmakers in China plunged 86.7 percent in February from a year earlier to 29,911 units due to the coronavirus outbreak in the country, data released by the companies showed Monday.
- South Korean President Moon Jae In unveiled on Monday plans to hand out 1 million won ($816) to each four-person household below the top 30 percent of income earners, to cushion the economic fallout from the coronavirus outbreak.
- A group of Japanese nationals left Peru on a chartered flight Sunday after they were stranded in the South American country following its decision to close borders and ground international flights earlier this month in a bid to stem the spread of the coronavirus.
- Toyota Motor Corp. said Monday it will temporarily halt work at all plants in Europe and Russia in an effort to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus.
- Japan is planning to ban foreign nationals from entering from the United States, China, South Korea and most of Europe to contain the spread of the new coronavirus, government sources said Monday.
- Japanese veteran slapstick comedian Ken Shimura died Sunday of coronavirus-caused pneumonia, his agency said. He was 70.
- The U.S. government extended to April 30 its guidelines asking people to stay at home and practice social distancing, citing an estimate that 2.2 million people could die in the absence of measures to contain the coronavirus pandemic.
As of 11 p.m., Sunday, March 29 (Japan time)
- Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Sunday said the number of people gathering in a public space is now restricted to two, down from the earlier limit of 10, in order to curtail the spread of the coronavirus.
- With a certain number of people infected with the new coronavirus reporting the loss of smell and taste, medical experts have started paying closer attention to those cases as they suspect the symptoms may be an indicator of infection.
- South Korea announced Sunday that all people arriving in the country from overseas will from April have to spend two weeks in self-isolation, in a bid to curtail the influx of travelers carrying the novel coronavirus.
- At least 68 new coronavirus infections were confirmed in Tokyo on Sunday, its biggest daily increase, a metropolitan government official said, as the capital struggles with a recent surge in the number of cases.
- July 2021 has emerged as the most likely time frame for the start of the Tokyo Olympics, a source in the organizing committee said Saturday.
List of major facilities, events affected by coronavirus in Japan
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 - Tokyo Metropolitan Government's hotline
- Available in English, Chinese, Korean and Japanese, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
0570-550571
- Available via fax for those with hearing impairments
03-5388-1396 - 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