TOKYO — Japan’s government-appointed panel of coronavirus experts said on Friday it would be difficult to ease curbs on people going outside, despite signs the contagion is ebbing.
“The number of new infections is slowly declining, but the health care system remains strained,” the panel said. “Unless the number of new infections falls to a certain level, the government must continue to impose strict restrictions on activities.”
“It is our consensus view that the current framework needs to be maintained for a while,” said Shigeru Omi, a member of an expert committee that advises Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
During a meeting on Friday, the panel examined the possibility of categorizing areas by the rate of new infections. “In areas where infection is severe, strict restrictions on behavior will be required,” the panel said.
The government appears ready to extend the state of emergency beyond the initial May 6 deadline. The experts are scheduled to hold another meeting by the end of the Golden Week holiday, which runs through the day, to reassess the situation. After that, the government will make a final decision.
The number of COVID-19 cases in the country has risen since the emergency was declared on April 7, initially for seven prefectures, including the Tokyo metropolitan area. The daily case total hit 690 on April 11.
But the rate of new infections has been slowing, with daily figures falling below 200 on some days, suggesting the state of emergency has been somewhat effective.
But the country still faces uncertainty, with new cases trending up in some areas.
Abe said on Thursday that it will be “difficult to go back to normal on May 7,” adding that the country needs to prepare for a “protracted battle of some kind.” This seemed to indicate his intent to extend the state of emergency.
Omi, the expert panel’s chairman, echoed Abe’s view. “It would be nice if the number of infections never rebounds once it goes down,” he said. “But the problem is not so simple. It is entirely possible that a decline is followed by another wave.”