The government must continue to keep restrictive measures introduced by the state of emergency in place even though the number of new coronavirus patients is on the decline, a government panel on coronavirus experts determined Friday.
“The panel’s evaluation is that it’s unmistakable that the number (of patients) that was going up is now coming down,” economic minister Yasutoshi Nishimura, who leads the government’s coronavirus response, said after the meeting. “However, the panel is also recommending to maintain the current framework for the time being since the speed of decrease is slower than the speed of increase.”
The panel meeting came a day after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said he plans to extend the state of emergency set to expire next Wednesday. He did not give further details, but the government is considering extending the state of emergency at least through the end of the month, with an official announcement expected as early as on Monday.