The state of emergency declared to counter the novel coronavirus ended on Sunday in nine prefectures, of which seven -- Hokkaido, Tokyo, Aichi, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyogo and Fukuoka -- shifted to priority measures on Monday.
According to an analysis by the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science using cell phone location data, the number of people going out in Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka and other areas has been on an upward trend during the state of emergency. The government is calling for caution, as any further increase could lead to a resurgence in infections.
Measures were taken to curb crowds during the state of emergency, such as asking restaurants to refrain from serving alcohol, but the effect gradually wore off. According to the institute, the number of people who stayed in major downtown areas in Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka and other cities for 15 minutes or more for leisure purposes decreased immediately after the state of emergency went into effect. However, it began to increase after about two weeks.
In particular, the number of people in seven downtown areas in Tokyo from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. has continued to increase since the end of the major holidays in May, almost doubling by mid-June.
There has already been a resurgence in infections among young people in Tokyo. According to the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry, in the week to June 12, the number of infected people in their 20s was about 50 per 100,000 members of the population, up 7% from the previous week.
More people in their late teens are also catching the virus.
The government's subcommittee on countermeasures recommended that the government continue to promote such measures as wearing a non-woven mask as much as possible, speaking in a low voice while indoors and only for a short time, and refraining from drinking in large groups until most of the people present have been vaccinated.
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