Here are the latest updates from Japan and beyond on the coronavirus outbreak:
As of 11 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 10 (Japan time)
- U.S. State Secretary Michael Pompeo promised Thursday that Washington will team up with the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to bring about recovery of their economies in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
- The Tokyo metropolitan government is set to lower its coronavirus alert by one notch from the highest of four levels as the number of infections has been on a downward trend in recent days, officials said Thursday.
- A new sea terminal in Tokyo which can accommodate the world's largest cruise ships opened its doors Thursday after the novel coronavirus pandemic postponed its launch originally scheduled for July.
- The Japan Sumo Association said Thursday that 18 wrestlers from the Tamanoi stable tested positive for the novel coronavirus, resulting in the entire stable sitting out the Autumn Grand Sumo Tournament starting this weekend.
- U.S. President Donald Trump had been aware in early February of how deadly and contagious the novel coronavirus was, but played down the threat in public, audio recordings of interviews for a new book obtained by U.S. media showed Wednesday.
- New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Wednesday he will ease restrictions to allow indoor dining in New York City with a limit of 25 percent capacity beginning Sept. 30, as the spread of the novel coronavirus has been controlled in recent months.
- Indonesia's capital Jakarta will reinstate large-scale social restrictions beginning Monday due to a resurgence in novel coronavirus infections, its governor said Wednesday.
- The International Olympic Committee is set to hold "important discussions" on coronavirus countermeasures in the coming weeks, but it is still too early to say what steps will be taken at the postponed Tokyo Games, IOC President Thomas Bach said Wednesday.
As of 11:45 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 9 (Japan time)
- The Tokyo metropolitan government is making final arrangements to end its policy of asking establishments serving alcohol in the capital's central 23 wards to close by 10 p.m., as the number of coronavirus cases has been trending downward in recent days, a source familiar with the situation said Wednesday.
- Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi pledged Wednesday to disburse $1 million in a new fund aimed at assisting the Association of Southeast Asian Nations' response to the novel coronavirus pandemic through the procurement of medical supplies and the development of vaccines.
- Japan will consider raising the upper limit for the number of spectators at sports, concerts and other events to up to 20,000 from the current 5,000, as coronavirus cases have been moderating recently, a senior government official said Wednesday.
- Global clinical trials of an experimental vaccine developed with the University of Oxford has been halted, British drugmaker AstraZeneca Plc said Tuesday, citing "a potentially unexplained illness" in one of its volunteer participants.
- Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike said Wednesday the Japanese capital should host the postponed Summer Olympics "by all means" next year by taking thorough measures against the novel coronavirus pandemic.
- With many businesses floundering due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Singapore is trying to speed up the re-entry into the workforce of hundreds of thousands of migrant workers who have been under lockdown for months in their dormitories to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
- North Korea on Wednesday marked the 72nd anniversary of its founding, at a time when the nation's economy has been apparently languishing against a backdrop of the aftermath of the new coronavirus pandemic and natural disasters.
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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"
- Available in Simple Japanese and English, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays. Also available in Chinese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, Tagalog, Thai, and Vietnamese on designated weekdays. Check schedule here.
03-6233-9266 - 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