Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday declared a state of emergency for Tokyo, Osaka and five other prefectures to curb the spread of coronavirus.
The state of emergency, which will last for a month, was imposed as the number of cases alarmingly spiked in urban areas.
“As I decided that a situation feared to gravely affect people’s lives and the economy has occurred... I am declaring a state of emergency,” Abe said.
The measure may not seem as strict as lockdowns imposed in other parts of the world. But, it empowers local governors to urge people to stay inside and to call for businesses to close.
Abe announced the decision after consulting with an advisory panel of experts in infectious diseases and public health, according to Kyodo News.
He added that people needed to change their behaviour and reduce contact with others to prevent the virus from spreading.
Essential commuting, grocery shopping and visits to the hospital are exempted from the emergency protocol.
Hours before the lockdown was to be imposed, a Reuters report said the hashtag ‘Escape from Tokyo’ was trending on Twitter.
Karuizawa, a mountainous retreat, known to be a favourite weekend destination already saw an increase in a number of cars with Tokyo number plates. Authorities, however, have warned people against leaving from their place of residence, as they fear travel will scatter the virus further and burden local medical systems.
Japan has more than 3,500 confirmed cases of COVID-19, 1,000 of which, have been reported in Tokyo. Japan has reported a total of 85 deaths due to the virus so far.