Tokyo coronavirus cases jump in record daily rise: NHK

A woman wearing a protective face mask, following an outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), walks under blooming cherry blossoms in a snow fall during the first weekend after Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike urged Tokyo residents to stay indoors in a bid to keep the coronavirus disease from spreading, in Tokyo, Japan March 29, 2020. REUTERS/Issei Kato

Tokyo has confirmed 68 new coronavirus cases, a record daily increase, public broadcaster NHK reported on Sunday, as the Japanese capital scrambles to prevent a wider outbreak, while a cluster of infections increased near the city.

Japan has so far been spared a major spreading of the coronavirus that has hit Europe and North America, but authorities fear a rise in cases with no known source of infection could signal a bigger new wave.

Authorities confirmed 28 new coronavirus cases from a cluster related to a home for the disabled in Chiba prefecture, adjacent to Tokyo, NHK said.

A man walks past on a nearly empty street in a snow fall during the first weekend after Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike urged Tokyo residents to stay indoors in a bid to keep the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) from spreading, at Ameyoko shopping and amusement district in Tokyo, Japan March 29, 2020. REUTERS/Issei Kato

The outbreak has infected more than 1,800 people in Japan, with 55 deaths as of Sunday afternoon, excluding 712 cases and 10 deaths from a cruise ship that was moored near Tokyo last month, NHK said.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Saturday promised an unprecedented package of steps to cushion the world's third-biggest economy from the coronavirus pandemic, warning that Japan may need to prepare for a national emergency.

Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike has also asked the tens of millions of people in the city and surrounding regions to avoid non-essential, non-urgent outings until April 12, as the city has become the center of Japan's coronavirus epidemic.

A man wearing a protective face mask, following an outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), walks past on an empty street in a snow fall during the first weekend after Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike (not in picture) urged Tokyo residents to stay indoors in a bid to keep the coronavirus disease from spreading, at Ameyoko shopping and amusement district in Tokyo, Japan March 29, 2020.REUTERS/Issei Kato

Of the 68 new cases in Tokyo, more than 20 are linked to a hospital in the eastern Tokyo ward of Taito, where many patients and staff have already tested positive, NHK said.

Tokyo authorities had no immediate comment on the NHK report.

A woman wearing a protective face mask, following an outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), waits for a trafic signal near blooming cherry blossoms in a snow fall during the first weekend after Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike (not in picture) urged Tokyo residents to stay indoors in a bid to keep the coronavirus disease from spreading, in Tokyo, Japan March 29, 2020REUTERS/Issei Kato

(Reporting by Makiko Yamazaki; Editing by Catherine Evans)

Empty seats are seen inside a restaurant in a snow fall during the first weekend after Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike (not in picture) urged Tokyo residents to stay indoors in a bid to keep the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) from spreading, at a park in Tokyo, Japan March 29, 2020. REUTERS/Issei Kato

A man walks past on a nearly empty street in a snow fall during the first weekend after Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike urged Tokyo residents to stay indoors in a bid to keep the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) from spreading, at Ameyoko shopping and amusement district in Tokyo, Japan March 29, 2020.REUTERS/Issei Kato

A shop employee wearing a protective face mask, following an outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), tries to remove snow in a snow fall during the first weekend after Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike (not in picture) urged Tokyo residents to stay indoors in a bid to keep the coronavirus disease from spreading, at Ameyoko shopping and amusement district in Tokyo, Japan March 29, 2020. REUTERS/Issei Kato

A man walks past on a bridge in a snow fall during the first weekend after Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike urged Tokyo residents to stay indoors in a bid to keep the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) from spreading, at a park in Tokyo, Japan March 29, 2020. REUTERS/Issei Kato

A scouple wearing protective face mask, following an outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), walks on a nearly empty stree in a snow fall during the first weekend after Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike (not in picture) urged Tokyo residents to stay indoors in a bid to keep the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) from spreading, at Ameyoko shopping and amusement district in Tokyo, Japan March 29, 2020. REUTERS/Issei Kato

A man walks past on a nearly empty street in a snow fall during the first weekend after Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike (not in picture) urged Tokyo residents to stay indoors in a bid to keep the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) from spreading, at an shopping and amusement district in Tokyo, Japan March 29, 2020.REUTERS/Issei Kato

A woman wearing a protective face mask, following an outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), walks past on a nearly empty street in a snow fall during the first weekend after Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike urged Tokyo residents to stay indoors in a bid to keep the coronavirus disease from spreading, at an shopping and amusement district in Tokyo, Japan March 29, 2020.REUTERS/Issei Kato

People walk under blooming cherry blossoms in a snow fall during the first weekend after Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike urged Tokyo residents to stay indoors in a bid to keep the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) from spreading, at a park in Tokyo, Japan March 29, 2020. REUTERS/Issei Kato

Empty seats are seen inside a restaurant in a snow fall during the first weekend after Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike (not in picture) urged Tokyo residents to stay indoors in a bid to keep the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) from spreading, at a park in Tokyo, Japan March 29, 2020. REUTERS/Issei Kato

A shop employee wearing a protective face mask, following an outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), waits for customers in a snow fall during the first weekend after Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike (not in picture) urged Tokyo residents to stay indoors in a bid to keep the coronavirus disease from spreading, at Ameyoko shopping and amusement district in Tokyo, Japan March 29, 2020. REUTERS/Issei Kato