Even as Japan largely learns to live with the virus, a recent spike in COVID-19 cases has prompted the government to consider measures in the event a potential eighth wave of infections is even larger than the seventh.
The government announced Friday that it will allow prefectures to declare a medical state of emergency if coronavirus infections soar above the level of the last, record-setting seventh wave and threaten to inundate the health care system, whereby citizens will be asked to “voluntarily” reduce risks, such as by teleworking or staying away from congested areas.
Such declarations, part of measures to prepare for another surge in infections in the coming weeks, will not be legally binding, meaning there will not be penalties for those who don't comply, officials said.
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