Here are the latest COVID-19 updates from Japan and beyond:
As of 11 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 21
- The Tokyo metropolitan government reported 5,074 new coronavirus cases on Saturday, topping the 5,000 level for the fourth straight day.
- Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will build Japan's first Waldorf Astoria luxury hotel -- the group's highest standard of accommodation -- near JR Osaka Station in western Japan, anticipating a recovery in travel demand among wealthy people in a post-coronavirus era. The chain is also planning to open a hotel of the same brand in Tokyo's Nihombashi district in 2026.
As of 11 p.m., Friday, Aug. 20
- Tokyo Paralympic flames lit across Japan were united in the host city on Friday, four days ahead of the opening of the biggest event for athletes with disabilities amid continued worries over coronavirus infections.
- Japan's governors urged the central government on Friday to consider imposing a lockdown to better contain a spike in COVID-19 cases, calling the current measures "ineffective" in fighting the highly contagious Delta variant rapidly spreading across the country.
- An Indonesian elderly couple, Sinyo and Henny Kawilarang, tested positive for the novel coronavirus in early July. But with only mild symptoms, they decided to self-isolate at home amid a surge in cases of the highly infectious Delta variant in Indonesia.
- A COVID-19 state of emergency took effect in seven more prefectures on Friday, with restrictions on business activity aimed at curbing Japan's largest yet wave of infections.
- Flame-lighting events for the Paralympic torch relay's Tokyo segment began across the host city Friday, as worries about the coronavirus' spread remain ahead of the world's biggest sporting event for athletes with impairments.
Japan and beyond: Week in Photos - Aug 14~20
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