OSAKA -- Osaka Prefecture decided to ask the central government Wednesday to allow it to implement emergency-level measures in a bid to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.
In response, the central government is making final arrangements to allow Osaka to implement "priority measures to prevent the spread of disease" as early as Thursday, according to multiple sources in the central government and ruling parties.
The priority measures will enable the Osaka government to take steps similar to those implemented under a state of emergency.
After receiving the request from the Osaka prefectural government, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga was expected to meet Wednesday with Health, Labor and Welfare Minister Norihisa Tamura; Yasutoshi Nishimura, the minister in charge of economic revitalization and measures against the novel coronavirus; and other relevant Cabinet members to discuss allowing Osaka to implement the measures.
The central government has been coordinating behind the scenes with Osaka on the steps to be taken in the event priority measures are implemented, and intends to swiftly make a final decision after hearing the opinions of experts as early as Thursday.
"The number of infected people in Osaka is increasing, and we'll allow it to implement the measures if requested," a high-ranking government official said Wednesday.
Unlike the declaration of a state of emergency, which covers the entire prefecture, priority measures can be limited to municipalities or certain areas.
-- 599 new cases confirmed
The Osaka prefectural government confirmed 599 new cases of infection with the novel coronavirus Wednesday, according to sources close to the prefectural government.
This is the second day in a row that the number of newly infected people in the prefecture has surpassed that of Tokyo. On Tuesday, there were 432 new cases in Osaka Prefecture.
Wednesday's figure is on the same level as early January, when Osaka asked the central government to declare a state of emergency.
The Tokyo metropolitan government announced that 414 new virus cases had been confirmed in Tokyo on Wednesday. It was the first time in 12 days that the daily number of infected people had fallen below the same day of the previous week.
The average number of new infections in the past week was 360.7, which was 16.5% higher than the previous week at 309.7. The number of seriously ill people increased by six from the previous day to 45.
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