WEB DESK
Japan’s health experts are warning of an explosive increase in the number of new coronavirus cases in the country. The daily tally topped one lakh on Friday for the first time since early February. That’s more than double the number recorded a week ago. About one-fifth of the cases reported today are in Tokyo.
Some hospitals are busy responding to the spike. Fifty patients with a fever visited a clinic near Tokyo this morning and almost half of them tested positive for the virus.
Prime Minister Kishida Fumio said earlier in the day that he does not intend to introduce new restrictions right now. Kishida held a meeting of the coronavirus task force ahead of the national long weekend. They discussed ways to get people tested before heading home to visit elderly relatives.