TOKYO: Japan’s prime minister on Monday (Dec 14) urged citizens to rethink their holiday journey plans and suspended a controversial domestic tourism campaign because the nation battles report numbers of coronavirus infections.
Yoshihide Suga also pledged extra help for medical employees and institutions overwhelmed by the nation’s third wave of cases and promised expanded subsidies for restaurants and other struggling companies.
Suga, who took the workplace in September, has seen his approval rankings plunge in current weeks partially over his dealing with the new wave of cases and his refusal to heed calls to halt the Go-To travel marketing campaign.
However, on Monday evening he reversed course beneath increasing strain, including from medical advisers to the government.
“We have now determined to take the strongest steps possible so as to cease the spread of the infections … so that all of you may welcome the New Yr in peace and quiet,” Suga instructed a special cabinet-level meeting on anti-pandemic measures.
He mentioned the travel subsidy program can be suspended between Dec 28 and Jan 11, with the halt coming into impact earlier for hardest-hit areas, together with the capital Tokyo.
He also urged the general public to rethink plans to go to relatives through the vacation season.
“I ask (the general public) to carefully rethink travel plans to return to home cities. I ask for your assistance so that all of us can spend a calm and quiet New Yr,” he mentioned.
The decision got here as Japan sees rising infections – standing around 3,000 new cases per day – with doctors and nurses warning they are overwhelmed.
A poll by nationwide broadcaster NHK discovered 81 percent of respondents had no plans to travel or visit their parents throughout the new yr interval, traditionally a busy travel time in Japan.
Japan has been less hard-hit than many nations – with 177,960 infections and 2,584 deaths recorded since the first case in January – and has avoided the strict lockdowns seen elsewhere.
With cases falling over the summer, the government launched campaigns to encourage travel and consuming out, however, these have been under fire as infections have risen, hitting everyday data.
The cupboard’s approval ranking has plunged 17 factors within the final month, to 40 percent, according to an opinion poll launched on Sunday by the Mainichi Shimbun newspaper.
