(Tokyo)
As of 11 p.m., Wednesday, April 1 (Japan time)
- A Japanese government panel of experts on Wednesday warned of a health care system collapse if a sharp increase in coronavirus infections seen recently in urban areas continues, stressing the need for people in areas seeing an accelerating spread to keep outings to a minimum.
- Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Wednesday the government will distribute cloth face masks to roughly 50 million households in Japan as stocks of disposable masks have run out at drugstores and other shops amid the coronavirus outbreak.
- Japan said Wednesday it will deny entry to foreign nationals travelling from a total of 73 countries and regions, or about a third of the world, expanding its ban to include the Americas and Africa to address the continued rise in global coronavirus infections.
- China on Wednesday began publishing a daily coronavirus update with asymptomatic cases, in response to growing public concern that "silent" carriers may cause another outbreak as more people return to work after lockdowns are relaxed.
- The government has established a team within the secretariat of the National Security Council tasked with crafting Japan's strategic response to the coronavirus crisis while improving its competitiveness in the technology and economic spheres
- The government plans to unveil detailed guidelines on the reopening of schools after monitoring the spread of coronavirus infections and taking expert advice, according to its top spokesman
- The coronavirus pandemic could kill at least 100,000 people in the United States even when mitigation measures are fully in place, the government said.
- Subaru Corp. will halt all global auto production for approximately three weeks due to the spread of the novel coronavirus, resulting in a loss in output of 70,000 units.
- The death toll from the new coronavirus surpassed 41,000 while the total number of confirmed infections topped 850,000 on Tuesday, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University of the United States.
As of 11 p.m., Tuesday, March 31 (Japan time)
- South Korean children will start the new school year on April 9 with only online classes, after repeated delays due to the outbreak of the new coronavirus, the government said Tuesday.
- Japan on Tuesday raised its travel advisory for some 50 countries including the United States, China and South Korea to level 3, warning against any trips to these areas as the novel coronavirus continues to spread globally. Tokyo on Tuesday reported a record daily increase of 78 new infections, raising its total to 521.
- The U.S. capital on Monday issued an order to residents to stay at home except for essential needs, joining other local authorities in the country that have taken similar steps to address the spread of the new coronavirus.
- Trade ministers from the Group of 20 major economies vowed to take "immediate" steps to ensure the flow of medical supplies across borders and agreed that any emergency measures to tackle the coronavirus pandemic should avoid disrupting supply chains.
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)