Hokkaido Gov. Naomichi Suzuki declared a state of emergency on Friday, calling on residents to stay home this weekend as a nation-high 64 residents across the prefecture have come down with the new coronavirus.
"The number of people infected with the disease is increasing. We have to think about slowing down the spread of infection," he said.
The state of emergency was declared at a meeting on infectious disease crisis management at the prefectural government's headquarters.
The state of emergency is in effect from Friday to March 19. Suzuki described the declaration as not legally binding and said at a press conference after the meeting: "Nothing can replace the protection of health and life. We ask for as much cooperation as possible from everyone."
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