(Beijing)
As of 10:30 p.m., Thursday, March 12 (Japan time)
- Japan's House of Representatives passed a bill Thursday that would allow Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to declare a state of emergency to deal with the coronavirus outbreak in Japan if needed.
- China's health authorities said Thursday the country has passed the peak of the novel-coronavirus outbreak, as it reported 15 additional infections on the mainland, a new low in daily new cases.
- Textile and chemical product maker Kurabo Industries Ltd. said Thursday it will import and sell in Japan from next week test kits developed by a Chinese firm that can detect new coronavirus in 15 minutes, far shorter than the current method.
- Japan will make preparations to hold the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics as scheduled despite the World Health Organization characterizing a day earlier the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic, the top government spokesman said Thursday.
- The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump said it will block the entry of foreign travelers from many European countries for 30 days to tackle the spread of the new coronavirus, while advising its citizens to reconsider traveling abroad.
- The World Figure Skating Championships scheduled to take place March 18-22 in Montreal have been canceled amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, organizers said.
- The National Cherry Blossom Festival held in Washington each spring will be scaled down this year due to the spread of the novel coronavirus, the organizer said.
- The U.S. State Department said the Group of Seven meeting of foreign ministers will be held by video conference, instead of gathering in Pittsburgh on March 24-25, due to fears of the spread of the new coronavirus.
- The World Health Organization declared the spread of the new coronavirus originating from China a pandemic, as the disease has already impacted daily life around the world with a total of nearly 120,000 people in about 110 countries having been infected.
As of 10:30 p.m., Wednesday, March 11 (Japan time)
- The Japan High School Baseball Federation has decided to cancel the upcoming national invitational tournament due to coronavirus fears, sources said Wednesday.
- Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea will extend their closure until early April due to the spread of the new coronavirus in Japan, operator Oriental Land Co. said Wednesday. USJ LLC, the operator of Universal Studios Japan in Osaka, said the theme park will remain closed through March 22.
- An additional 90 people have been found to be infected with the new coronavirus in a cluster traced to a call center in Seoul, the South Korean capital's mayor said Wednesday.
- A member of the Tokyo Games organizing committee's executive board said it would be more realistic to postpone the Olympics by one or two years rather than cancel the games due to the coronavirus outbreak, The Wall Street Journal reported.
- New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said his state will lock down part of a New York City suburb, including deploying National Guard troops to the area, to help prevent the spread of the new coronavirus.
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
(Tokyo)