(Seoul)
As of 11 p.m., Saturday, March 14 (Japan time)
- Super Rugby's governing body SANZAAR said Saturday the elite rugby circuit will shut down following the New Zealand government's announcement of strict travel restrictions in response to the global new coronavirus outbreak.
- Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Saturday he sees no immediate need to declare a state of emergency and that Japan will make preparations to hold the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics as scheduled despite the global new coronavirus pandemic.
- Most travelers entering New Zealand, including citizens and residents, will be required to enter 14 days of self-isolation as a preventative measure against coronavirus, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Saturday.
- The head of the World Health Organization said Friday that Europe has become the epicenter of the new coronavirus after the illness raged in China and elsewhere around the world.
- President Donald Trump on Friday declared a national emergency over the coronavirus outbreak to enable use of more funds to deal with the situation, saying that the United States entered a "different phase" in its fight against the epidemic.
- Leaders of the Group of Seven industrialized countries agreed to hold a videoconference on Monday to discuss their response to the global spread of the new coronavirus, French President Emmanuel Macron said Friday.
- Leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations are likely to postpone their summit next month in Vietnam due to the COVID-19 outbreak, ASEAN diplomatic sources said Friday.
As of 10 p.m., Friday, March 13 (Japan time)
- The Greek Olympic committee said Friday it will suspend the rest of the torch relay in the country for the this summer's Tokyo games, due to concerns over the spread of the new coronavirus.
- Japan enacted a time-limited legal change on Friday enabling Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, if he deems it necessary, to declare a state of emergency to cope with the spread of the new coronavirus.
- A woman has tested positive for the new coronavirus after coming into contact earlier this month with an infected man who had expressed to others that he wanted to "spread the virus," according to a central Japanese city government.
- Major League Baseball joined many other sports leagues in reacting to the coronavirus outbreak by announcing Thursday that it has canceled the rest of spring training and is delaying the start of the season.
- Live music clubs across Japan are struggling financially as a series of events they were scheduled to hold were canceled, particularly after a number of visitors to such venues in Osaka were found to be infected with the new coronavirus.
- The Tokyo stock market faced massive selling Friday morning over global coronavirus fears, with the benchmark Nikkei index briefly tumbling over 1,800 points, the steepest one-day decline since April 1990.
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
(Beijing)