Here are the latest updates from Japan and beyond on the coronavirus outbreak:
- 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
As of 11 p.m., Friday, May 1 (Japan time)
- Japan's education ministry presented Friday the option of schools reopening for some grades only to reduce the risk of coronavirus infections, with priority given to classes for first- and sixth-graders at elementary schools as well as senior students at junior high schools.
- More than 117 million people are likely to make trips in China during the five-day May Day holiday that started Friday, official media reported, amid lingering concern over a possible second wave of new coronavirus infections in the country.
- Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Friday he is seeking to extend the nationwide state of emergency imposed over the coronavirus epidemic by about a month, after a government panel of experts recommended that the current measures be maintained for a while.
- With demand for face masks still strong in Japan, a wide variety of stores have looked to cash in on people's desire to protect themselves against the coronavirus' insidious spread.
- Japan will provide anti-flu drug Avigan free of charge to 43 countries for clinical studies on its efficacy as a coronavirus treatment, Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said Friday.
- The Tokyo metropolitan government confirmed 165 new coronavirus infections on Friday, up from 46 the previous day, sources close to the government said.
- Families raising children in Japan are facing the big question of who will look after their children if both parents become infected with coronavirus, as options are limited.
- A government panel of medical experts considers the current emergency steps as necessary "for the time being," despite the number of new daily coronavirus infections trending downward, a Japanese minister said Friday.
- A group of Mongolian Paralympic athletes who came to Japan in February to train with hopes of competing in the now-postponed Tokyo Games have found themselves unable to return home amid the new coronavirus pandemic.
- U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday he is confident the COVID-19-causing coronavirus originated from an infectious diseases lab in China, adding he could impose tariffs as a punishment for the country's lackluster response that allowed its global spread.
- U.S. intelligence authorities said Thursday that the new coronavirus was not manmade, but they will continue to examine whether the outbreak began through contact with infected animals or can be blamed on a laboratory in China.
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