The total number of Japanese novel coronavirus infections hit at least 5,002 on Thursday, NHK public broadcaster said, showing no signs of slowing despite a state of emergency being imposed this week on Tokyo and six other areas.
STATE OF EMERGENCY FAILS TO KEEP PEOPLE HOME
The milestone came as the central bank warned the coronavirus pandemic had created an “extremely high” level of uncertainty for the world’s third-largest economy, with regional economies facing their worst conditions since the global financial crisis a decade ago.
Once declared by the central government, the state of emergency gives local governors stronger legal authority to urge people to stay home and businesses to close.
The number of new infections rose by at least 29 on Thursday to 5002, while the death toll edged up by 1 to 105, according to Japanese media reports.