Here are the latest updates from Japan and beyond on the coronavirus outbreak:

A BMX freestyle park test event for the Tokyo Olympics is held at Ariake Urban Sports Park in Tokyo on May 17, 2021, with no spectators allowed to attend amid the coronavirus pandemic. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

As of 11 p.m., Tuesday, May 18

• The Japanese government said Tuesday it will impose stricter border regulations for those traveling from Bangladesh, Maldives and Sri Lanka to prevent a more contagious coronavirus variant that was first found in India from spreading.
  
  
• The Japanese government will consider allowing pharmacists to administer COVID-19 vaccines to speed up the country's slow inoculation process, the minister in charge of the vaccinations said Tuesday.
  
  
• India's total COVID-19 cases exceeded 25 million Tuesday, with a record 4,329 deaths in a one-day period, the Indian government said.
  
  
• The Japanese government said Tuesday it will fix an embarrassing COVID-19 vaccine booking system fault that allowed reservations to be made using nonexistent application numbers.
  
  
• After the Japanese government's second state of emergency over the coronavirus pandemic led the country's economy to its first shrinkage in three quarters in the January-March period, the third emergency declared in April could bring another contraction the following quarter, economists say.
  
  
• Japan's economy in the January-March period contracted an annualized real 5.1 percent from the previous quarter, the first shrinkage in three quarters, as a second state of emergency over the coronavirus pandemic dented consumption, government data showed Tuesday.
  
  
• The United States will share with other countries an additional 20 million doses of coronavirus vaccines, raising its total supply for international distribution to 80 million doses by the end of June, the White House said Monday.

As of 11 p.m., Monday, May 17

• The governments of Taipei and New Taipei in Taiwan's north said Monday that elementary, middle and high schools in the two cities will be closed from Tuesday through May 28 amid an increase in coronavirus cases.
  
  
• China on Monday expressed support for waiving intellectual property protections for novel coronavirus vaccines in a bid to help developing nations suffering from the ongoing pandemic.
  
  
• The Tokyo Olympic torch relay began its segment in Hiroshima on Monday, but the event was downscaled with torchbearers passing on the flame at a park without spectators in the prefecture, which is under an emergency over surging coronavirus infections.
  
  
• Online bookings for elderly people to receive vaccinations at a large state-run vaccination center in Tokyo started Monday as Japan tries to accelerate its vaccine rollout amid a fourth wave of coronavirus infections.

Japan and beyond: Week in Photos - May 8~14

An ignition ceremony for the Tokyo Olympic torch relay is held at Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima, western Japan, on May 17, 2021. The torch relay was taken off public roads in Hiroshima with a coronavirus state of emergency in place and spectators were not allowed at the ceremony. (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