Osaka Declares Medical State of Emergency over COVID-19

The prefectural government of Osaka, western Japan, on Wednesday declared a medical state of emergency amid a surge in COVID-19 cases in the seventh wave of infections.

The prefecture will urge elderly people with high risks of developing severe symptoms to refrain from unnecessary travel, excluding shopping and exercise, between Thursday and Aug. 27.

But it will not urge restaurants and bars to shorten their operating hours. It is the fourth medical state of emergency in Osaka, and the first since Feb. 8.

Daily COVID-19 cases have been around 10,000 to 20,000 in the prefecture in recent days, putting its medical system under strain. The occupancy rate of hospital beds reached 52.0 pct on Wednesday.

“I want everyone to take basic precautions such as vaccinations thoroughly,” Osaka Governor Hirofumi Yoshimura told a press conference. “I especially want to protect elderly people at high risk.”