Here are the latest updates from Japan and beyond on the coronavirus outbreak:
- Cases of hospitals in Japan turning away patients on ambulance transports, mostly because they are suspected of being infected with the new coronavirus, increased more than fivefold in April from a year earlier, a survey by Kyodo News showed Saturday.
- The forced cancellation of major festivals and fireworks events next summer in Japan due to the coronavirus pandemic is frustrating for the host towns and cities that rely on the cultural and financial contribution they make to their local areas.
- Japan will allow the reopening of parks, museums, libraries and some other public facilities, even in areas with a relatively high number of coronavirus infections, a senior government official said Sunday.
- The Nagasaki prefectural government said Sunday it is sending 44 Indonesian crew members on an Italian cruise ship docked in southwestern Japan back home after they tested negative for the novel coronavirus.
- Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is planning to extend Japan's state of emergency by around a month through May 31 to fight the novel coronavirus, a government official said Sunday.
- The Japan Sumo Association is making arrangements to cancel the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament, which was scheduled to open May 24 due to the new coronavirus pandemic, multiple official sources said Sunday.
- Japanese zoos and aquariums temporarily closed due to the coronavirus pandemic are providing encouragement to people at home under social-distancing measures by posting live images and videos of animals online.
- Japan took steps Saturday to fast-track its approval of the anti-viral drug remdesivir for the treatment of new coronavirus patients, as the domestic death toll topped 500 including cases from a cruise ship.
- A set of guidelines on how to restart economic activities amid the coronavirus epidemic for certain areas of the country will be made public next week around the time an extension of the current nationwide state of emergency will be decided, a Japanese minister said Saturday.
- Medical workers in Japan are facing severe shortages of protective equipment in their fight against the new coronavirus despite government efforts to increase support, a recent survey showed.
- A Japanese cooking school has been enticing vegans confined to their homes during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic to try out their unique animal product-free educational offerings.
- Just as Major League Baseball's regular season remains in limbo, Japan's major leaguers are also riding out the storm of the coronavirus pandemic, waiting for word on when and how they will be able to play ball once again
List of shops closed in Tokyo following emergency declaration
Useful resources for foreign residents and visitors in Japan
- Tokyo Metropolitan Government's "Tokyo Coronavirus Support Center for Foreign Residents (TOCOS)" multilingual hotline
- Available in Simple Japanese, English, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Nepali, Indonesian, Tagalog, Thai, Portuguese, Spanish, French, Khmer, and Burmese, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays except national holidays.
0120-296-004 (toll free) - AMDA Medical Information Center's "Multilingual Consultation Service Regarding COVID-19"
(April 10~May 20, 2020)
- Available in English, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekends and national holidays. Also available in Chinese, Korean, Tagalog, Thai, Spanish, Vietnamese and Portuguese on designated weekdays. Check schedule here.
03-6233-9266
- Available in English and Chinese on weekdays only, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
090-3359-8324 - Tokyo Metropolitan Government's COVID-19 info
https://stopcovid19.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/en/flow/ - 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 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 - 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