Here are the latest COVID-19 updates from Japan and beyond:
As of 11 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 20
- The approval rating for Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's Cabinet remained almost unchanged at 56.6 percent, but some of his recent COVID-19 responses drew mixed reactions in a Kyodo News survey released Sunday.
- Japan's top coronavirus adviser Shigeru Omi said Sunday it is time to start considering further shortening the quarantine period for people who have been in close contact with COVID-19 patients.
No major coronavirus news on Saturday, Feb. 19
As of 11 p.m., Friday, Feb. 18
- Hong Kong's government said Friday the upcoming chief executive election has been postponed from March 27 to May 8 to focus on its battle against surging COVID-19 infections fueled by the highly transmissible Omicron variant.
- A government panel on Friday approved the extension of Japan's COVID-19 quasi-state of emergency measures until March 6 in 17 prefectures including Osaka, Kyoto and Fukuoka to curb coronavirus infections, while ending them Sunday in five other prefectures.
- Hopes among residents of Beijing are increasing that the government may move to ease the strict enforcement of its "zero COVID policy" after Sunday's end of the Winter Olympics in the capital, but with a key ruling party gathering slated for later this year, the opposite could be the case.
Japan and beyond: Week in Photos - Feb. 5~Feb. 11
Useful resources for foreign residents and visitors in Japan
- Health ministry call center
COVID-19: 0120-565-653 (toll free)
COVID-19 Vaccines: 0120-761-770 (toll free)
-Interpreters available for English, Chinese, Korean, Portuguese and Spanish 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.; for Thai 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; for Vietnamese 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. - Health ministry's COVID-19 Vaccine Navigation website
https://v-sys.mhlw.go.jp/en/ - 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)