Here are the latest updates from Japan and beyond on the coronavirus outbreak:
As of 11 p.m., Friday, May 14
- Japan has signed a contract with U.S. pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc. to receive additional doses of its coronavirus vaccine for 25 million people by September, health minister Norihisa Tamura said Friday.
- Singapore said Friday it will tighten coronavirus restrictions again from Sunday amid an increase in locally transmitted cases, including a ban on dining-in at restaurants and gatherings of more than two.
- A Japanese lawyer who launched a popular online petition calling for the cancelation of this summer's Olympics on Friday urged the Tokyo metropolitan government to call off the games, saying protecting people's lives from the coronavirus must be the top priority.
- U.S. health authorities said Thursday that people who have been fully vaccinated against the novel coronavirus basically no longer need to wear a mask or physically distance.
- The Japanese government decided Friday to extend the country's COVID-19 state of emergency to three more prefectures, a surprise move that comes as infections continue to surge ahead of this summer's Tokyo Olympics.
- The Tokyo Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games will reduce the number of visiting officials to this summer's games to 90,000 or fewer as part of its simplification efforts, the committee's CEO said Thursday.
- The Japanese government plans to impose tougher restrictions under a quasi-state of emergency in five more prefectures amid growing calls for quicker response to an increasing number of infections caused by highly contagious variants of the coronavirus, sources familiar with the matter said Thursday.
As of 11 p.m., Thursday, May 13
- The number of new coronavirus cases in Japan's northern main island of Hokkaido totaled 712 on Thursday, the highest level on record.
- A 42-year-old mayor in eastern Japan came under scrutiny Thursday as he was inoculated against COVID-19 ahead of the elderly, in the latest case that could raise suspicion about fair distribution amid the country's sluggish vaccine rollout.
- The governor of Chiba Prefecture said Thursday he has no plan to allocate hospital beds for Olympic athletes infected with the coronavirus, joining a growing chorus of voices calling on those involved in the Tokyo Games to be denied preferential treatment.
- Japan's travel surplus in fiscal 2020 plunged 89.2 percent from the previous year, as the number of inbound visitors nosedived due to strict international travel restrictions by nations in response to the novel coronavirus pandemic, the Finance Ministry said Thursday.
- A 62-year-old mayor in western Japan has received the first dose of the novel coronavirus vaccine although he is not eligible under current regulations in the country, which preserve the inoculations for those age 65 or older and medical workers.
- The Japanese government is aiming to complete COVID-19 vaccinations for all athletes representing the host nation at this summer's Tokyo Olympics by the end of June, sources close to the matter said Wednesday.
- The Taiwan government tightened measures against the novel coronavirus Wednesday as the island, which had contained the spread of the virus, confirmed 16 new domestically transmitted cases of COVID-19 on the day.
Japan and beyond: Week in Photos - May 1~7
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