Local governments nationwide are calling on people to avoid going out as a step to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus.
Some governments have requested that people voluntarily refrain from leaving home at night and traveling between cities on weekdays from Monday, following a similar request last week by the Tokyo metropolitan government and governments in the city's vicinity.
On Monday, Chiba Gov. Kensaku Morita said after a task force meeting, "We would like to ask you to refrain from going to Tokyo at night on weekdays."
Previously, the prefectural governments of Chiba, Kanagawa, Saitama and Yamanashi asked residents to refrain from traveling to and from Tokyo on weekends. However, this kind of request cannot stop the virus spreading, forcing governments to strengthen their requests.
The Tokyo metropolitan government has called for voluntary restraint in going out at night on weekdays, among other requests. The Saitama and Kanagawa prefectural governments have asked people to refrain from nonessential outings from Monday, including traveling to and from Tokyo.
More than 40% of workers in Kawasaki commute to the capital, which is adjacent to it, and the Kawasaki city government is asking its residents to "avoid going out not only on weekends but also for a certain period of time in the future."
Similar moves have spread outside of the Tokyo metropolitan area. The Mie prefectural government asked its residents Monday to refrain from making nonessential visits or business trips to eight prefectures where more than 50 people are reported to have been infected with the virus, including Tokyo, Osaka and Aichi. It considered that the risk of infection has become high given that a growing number of patients have been infected via unknown transmission routes.
The Hyogo prefectural government has asked its people to try not to visit areas with high population density such as Osaka Prefecture until April 7.
"This week will be a crucial period. We'll discuss to decide whether to ask for further cooperation," Hyogo Gov. Toshizo Ido said.
The Saga prefectural government added Fukuoka, Oita and Kumamoto prefectures, where the number of virus patients is increasing, to the list of areas subject to voluntary restraint -- on top of the Tokyo metropolitan and Kansai areas.
Saga Gov. Yoshinori Yamaguchi said Monday, "We would like to ask for your cooperation in order to prevent a situation in which we have to refrain from going out within the prefecture."
Prefectures where no infections have been confirmed have their guard up. Yamagata Gov. Mieko Yoshimura sent out a message on Saturday asking for residents to refrain from visiting places outside the prefecture or from coming back for the time being.
Tottori Prefecture asked its residents Friday to reconsider travel to the Tokyo metropolitan area, and requested that those who have moved to Tokyo for job hunting or higher education follow the thorough measures set out by local governments in the areas they have relocated to. Tottori Gov. Shinji Hirai said: "We need to protect Tokyo, the center of politics and economy. We want to help prevent infections."
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