The state of emergency declaration was lifted Sunday in Tokyo as well as Chiba, Kanagawa and Saitama prefectures, putting an end to all declarations regarding COVID-19 in those areas, which had lasted for 2-1/2 months.
The government will make an all-out effort to prevent further spreading of novel coronavirus infections from now on.
"We will prevent the rebound of infections by staying alert and watching out for virus variants. The situation may become a seesaw affair, but we will definitely see a light ahead," Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said in a speech at the Liberal Democratic Party's convention on Sunday, asking for cooperation from the public.
Recently, the number of people who have newly tested positive for the virus tends to be either plateauing or slightly increasing. People are expected to move around more frequently from now on to take part in seasonal events, such as farewell and welcome parties and cherry blossom viewing.
The government has still demanded that restaurants and bars close daily by 9 p.m. The government hopes to catch signs of further infection spreads by strengthening measures against virus variants and widely conducting PCR tests in major cities on people showing no symptoms of the disease.
Border controls will be tightened as well. Regarding quarantines and tests required for people coming to Japan from countries where virus variants are spreading, Health, Labor and Welfare Minister Norihisa Tamura, speaking in an NHK program on Sunday, said, "I am thinking of applying the measures to [arrivals from] all countries."
As for COVID-19 vaccines developed by AstraZeneca PLC and Moderna, Inc. that have been submitted for approval, Tamura said, "They may be approved as early as May."
The latest state of emergency was declared on Jan. 7 for Tokyo and the three prefectures, later spreading to eight other prefectures as well. The declaration for Tokyo and the first three prefectures was extended twice before being lifted.
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