Here are the latest updates from Japan and beyond on the coronavirus outbreak:
(Beijing)
As of 10:45 p.m., Friday, March 20 (Japan time)
- Some amusement park operators in Japan said Friday they will resume some of their operations that were temporarily suspended due to the outbreak of the new coronavirus.
- South Korea's Health and Welfare Ministry highlighted the need for cooperation with Japan and China to overcome the rapidly spreading new coronavirus, during a briefing with major foreign news agencies, including Kyodo News, on Friday.
- Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Friday the government will draw up plans to reopen schools in Japan's new academic year from April but did not budge over his cautious approach to holding large events to stem a surge in coronavirus infections.
- International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach said the IOC is "considering different scenarios" for this summer's Tokyo Games amid the outbreak of the new coronavirus, The New York Times reported Thursday.
- The State Department on Thursday advised Americans to avoid all international travel, raising its global health warning to the highest level of 4 amid the worldwide spread of the new coronavirus.
- Police in Wuhan, the Chinese city hit hard by the new coronavirus, decided to revoke a reprimand issued against local doctor Li Wenliang who died after warning about the virus early in its outbreak.
- A Japanese government panel of medical experts said schools can reopen in areas without new confirmed cases of coronavirus infections, proposing to relax the current nationwide approach to pre-empt a further spread.
- The number of deaths in Italy from the new coronavirus has risen to 3,405, the Italian government said, surpassing for the first time that of mainland China where COVID-19 was initially reported.
- The State Department urged Americans to avoid all international travel, raising its global health advisory by one notch to the highest level of 4 amid concerns over the spread of the new coronavirus.
- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told his fellow leaders from the Group of Seven countries earlier this week that he has not yet decided whether to postpone the Tokyo Olympics due to the coronavirus outbreak, U.S. President Donald Trump said.
As of 10 p.m., Thursday, March 19 (Japan time)
- All Nippon Airways Co. is planning for 5,000 of its cabin attendants to take a few days of leave starting April due to flight cancellations forced by the spread of the new coronavirus, sources close to the matter said Thursday.
- The International Olympic Committee reasserted its policy of starting this summer's Tokyo Games on July 24 as scheduled in a conference call with the Japanese Olympic Committee and other Asian Olympic bodies on Thursday.
- Coronavirus infections through four live music venues in Osaka appear to be over as no new cases among visitors have been reported for a week, local authorities said Thursday.
- The number of novel coronavirus patients in Wuhan, the epicenter of China's virus outbreak, were manipulated in time for President Xi Jinping's visit last week, a local doctor told Kyodo News Thursday.
- The planned visit by Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako to Britain in the second quarter of this year will be postponed due to the new coronavirus outbreak, Japan's top government spokesman said Thursday.
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
(Sydney)
[Getty/Kyodo]