Here are the latest updates from Japan and beyond on the coronavirus outbreak:
People ride bicycles in Osaka on May 4, 2021, during the Golden Week holiday period in Japan. Osaka Prefecture remains under a coronavirus state of emergency. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
As of 10 p.m., Wednesday, May 5
- Japan is eyeing an extension to the COVID-19 state of emergency currently in effect in Tokyo and a number of western Japan prefectures beyond its May 11 end date, with a final decision to be made on Friday, government sources said Wednesday, amid a resurgence of the virus.
- Two members of India's delegation to the Group of Seven foreign ministerial meeting in London have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, a source close to Japan-Britain relations said Wednesday.
- U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday announced a new goal to tackle the coronavirus pandemic, saying he will aim to have 70 percent of adults vaccinated with at least one shot and 160 million fully inoculated by July 4, the Independence Day holiday.
As of 10 p.m., Tuesday, May 4
- Osaka Gov. Hirofumi Yoshimura indicated Tuesday he would ask the central government to extend the current COVID-19 state of emergency in the western Japan metropolis beyond its May 11 end date as the number of infections has not shown a significant decrease.
- Foreign ministers of the Group of Seven industrialized nations started a three-day meeting Monday in London, focusing on ways to achieve a free and open Indo-Pacific and curb the coronavirus pandemic.
Japan and beyond: Week in Photos - April 24~30
People wearing masks to protect against the novel coronavirus gather around carp streamers decorated at Tokyo Tower on May 4, 2021, during the Golden Week holiday period in Japan. (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)
https://www.seikatubunka.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/chiiki_tabunka/tabunka/tabunkasuishin/0000001452.html - 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/ - Tokyo Metropolitan Government hotline
https://stopcovid19.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/en/contacts
- Available in English, Chinese, Korean and Japanese, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. (including weekends and holidays)
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"
https://www.japan.travel/en/plan/hotline/
- Available in English, Chinese, Korean and Japanese 24 hours a day
050-3816-2787
+81-50-3816-2787 (from overseas) - 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
