The Tokyo Metropolitan Government confirmed three new cases Friday of infection with the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, NHK reported, as the government is considering lifting the state of emergency in the capital as early as Monday.

Friday's figure marked the lowest since March 22 and brought the number of infections in the past week to 53, achieving below the 70 threshold that the central government set for lifting the emergency measures for a second straight day.

The state of emergency was lifted in 39 of the country’s 47 prefectures last week, and three more in the Kansai region on Thursday. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe may lift the order in the remaining five prefectures — Tokyo, Kanagawa, Chiba, Saitama and Hokkaido — following a meeting of the government’s expert panel on Monday.

Friday's cases brought the total number of infections Tokyo to 5,136, with 256 deaths.

Nationwide, 41 new infections were reported Thursday, raising the total tally in Japan, including cruise-ship related cases, to 17,195, with 812 deaths, according to Kyodo News.