Here are the latest updates from Japan and beyond on the coronavirus outbreak:
Workers in personal protective equipment are seen, along side police patrols, on July 7, 2020 in Melbourne, Australia. (Getty/Kyodo)
As of 11 p.m., Wednesday, July 8 (Japan time)
- Nippon Professional Baseball released updated guidelines on Wednesday outlining measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus when its two leagues begin admitting fans to games this Friday.
- The World Health Organization said Tuesday it has been looking into the possibility that the novel coronavirus can be transmitted by air, after international scientists urged the WHO to revise its guidelines for the virus.
- The Tokyo metropolitan government on Wednesday reported 75 new coronavirus infections in the capital, dropping to a double-digit level for the first time in seven days.
- Professional baseball may have returned to Japan, but with new rules in place due to the coronavirus pandemic every aspect of the game has been affected, including player-media relations.
- Japan will consider easing travel restrictions for athletes from abroad for next year's Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics in a bid to hold the Summer Games even if the global coronavirus pandemic is not completely under control by then, several sources close to the matter said Tuesday.
- The United States has formally notified the U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres of its intention to withdraw from the World Health Organization, effective July 6, 2021, a senior administration official said Tuesday.
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As of 11 p.m. Tuesday, July 7 (Japan time)
- Municipal authorities in China's capital Beijing on Tuesday reported no new cases of the novel coronavirus for the first time in around four weeks since the detection early last month of a virus cluster at the city's biggest wholesale market.
- Australia's second most populous city, Melbourne, will go back into a six-week-long lockdown following a prolonged spike in coronavirus cases, the Victorian state's Premier Daniel Andrews announced Tuesday.
- The Tokyo metropolitan government on Tuesday confirmed 106 new coronavirus infections in the capital, surpassing the 100 mark for the sixth straight day, an official said.
- An increasing number of municipalities in Japan are conducting individual medical checkups of infants and toddlers following a decision to suspend group examinations due to worries about the spread of the coronavirus.
- International students attending American high schools or universities will have to leave the country or risk deportation if their classes shift entirely online in the fall in response to the coronavirus pandemic, the U.S. government said Monday.
- The coronavirus pandemic has wreaked havoc on global supply chains and the international community must come together to prevent such crises in the future, Japan's annual white paper on trade said Tuesday.
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 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
People wearing face masks walk in Tokyo's Shinjuku area on July 7, 2020. The Tokyo metropolitan government confirmed the same day 106 new coronavirus infections in the capital, surpassing the 100 mark for the sixth straight day. (Kyodo)
