TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan is looking to extend a state of emergency in Tokyo and several other areas by about three weeks to June 20, a cabinet minister said on Friday, as the COVID-19 pandemic shows no signs of easing less than two months before the Summer Olympics open.
The state of emergency in the capital and eight other prefectures had been scheduled to end on May 31, but strains on the medical system https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/sports/beset-by-coronavirus-wave-tokyos-doctors-lead-push-against-games-2021-05-26 remain severe. Japan has seen a record number of COVID-19 patients in critical condition in recent days, even as the number of new infections have slowed.
(Reporting by Chang-Ran Kim; Editing by Christopher Cushing)
