Tokyo declares 'red alert' after spike in coronavirus cases

The Japanese capital raised its coronavirus alert to the highest ‘red’ level on Wednesday, prompted by a recent spike in daily new cases to record highs. Governor Yuriko Koike described the situation in Tokyo as “rather severe.”

The infection rate in Tokyo is at the highest of four levels in the metropolis’ system, Koike said. Health experts cautioned earlier in the day that infections were going up quite a bit and “exceeding peaks.”

In Tokyo, daily virus cases exceeded 200 in four of the past seven days, hitting a record of 243 last Friday. Testing among nightclub workers in its red-light districts showed rising infections among people in their 20s and 30s, Reuters said.

The governor pledged to step up testing for the virus by utilizing equipment at universities. Fearing a second wave of infections, local municipalities, opposition lawmakers and social media users have asked the central government to suspend a ‘Go To’ travel aid campaign that aims to boost domestic tourism.