Here are the latest updates from Japan and beyond on the coronavirus outbreak:
An official asks spectators to wear face masks on the first day of the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament at Tokyo's Ryogoku Kokugikan on Jan. 10, 2021. The number of spectators has been limited to 5,000 per day amid the novel coronavirus pandemic. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
As of 10 p.m., Monday, Jan. 11
- Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin announced Monday stricter lockdown rules for the nation's capital Kuala Lumpur and several states following a surge in coronavirus infection cases that he said have stretched the country's health care system to breaking point.
- Ceremonies to mark the Coming-of-Age Day in Japan were held online or outdoors Monday, with some municipalities canceling the event altogether to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus amid a recent countrywide surge.
- China said Monday that an expert group of the World Health Organization will visit the country later this week in a bid to investigate the origins of the novel coronavirus.
- Japan is set to expand a state of emergency declared over the coronavirus pandemic to Osaka, Kyoto and Hyogo prefectures, government and ruling party sources said Monday.
- Indonesia on Monday extended the closure of its borders to all international visitors for another two weeks until Jan. 28, as the country tries to keep out a potentially more transmissible variant of the novel coronavirus.
As of 10 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 10
- Around 80 percent of people in Japan believe the postponed Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics this summer should be canceled or rescheduled, a Kyodo News survey showed Sunday.
- Ryukakusan Co. has begun reaching out to consumers in China, where e-commerce is big business, with the number of inbound tourists to Japan having nosedived due to travel restrictions amid the coronavirus pandemic.
- Four people who arrived at Tokyo's Haneda airport from Brazil have been found to be infected with a new variant of the novel coronavirus, officials said Sunday, amid a resurgence of infections in Japan.
Japan and beyond: Week in Photos - January 2~8
A lion statue with a face mask is pictured at a department store in Tokyo's Ginza area on Jan. 9, 2021, as the capital is under a coronavirus state of emergency. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
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
