Aichi Gov. Hideaki Omura has asked the central government to add Aichi Prefecture to the list of areas that are subject to a state of emergency declaration, he said at a press conference on Thursday.
He added that the Aichi prefectural government would declare its own state of emergency at 1 p.m. on Friday to request that local residents refrain from nonessential, nonurgent trips and outings.
"The number of people whose infection [with the new coronavirus] became apparent this week is very worrying," Omura said. "We decided that it would be better to ask for the designation so that the prefecture's residents will further refrain from various activities."
He explained that he made the request to the central government on Wednesday and that the prefecture is in the process of discussing the matter with the Prime Minister's Office and other relevant offices. The central government's declaration of a state of emergency is provided under the revised special measures law on new strains of influenza.
As of Wednesday, the number of people who tested positive for the new coronavirus in the prefecture stood at 280, the fifth highest in the country, and the number of hospital admissions has reached 168.
The number of people in the prefecture infected with the virus through unknown routes has increased in April. The prefecture saw a rise of 20 people testing positive for the virus each day on Tuesday and Wednesday.
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