Here are the latest updates from Japan and beyond on the coronavirus outbreak:
As of 9:50 p.m., Thursday, May 6
- The Japanese government plans to expand the ongoing COVID-19 state of emergency beyond Tokyo and the Osaka area and extend it to the end of May in a bid to bring down infections and ease the strain on hospitals, senior officials said Thursday.
- The International Olympic Committee announced Thursday it will provide athletes attending this summer's Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics with doses of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE.
- The operator of Narita airport near Tokyo is considering reopening part of its Terminal 2 satellite building that was closed in April last year due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, sources familiar with the matter said Thursday.
- The United States will support waiving intellectual property protections for coronavirus vaccines to help expand global vaccine supplies amid the ongoing pandemic, the country's top trade envoy Katherine Tai said Wednesday.
As of 11 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.
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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)
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