Suga Denies 4th Wave Of Pandemic In Japan Amid Rising Safety Concerns

The current rate of COVID-19 infections in Japan is yet to reach the levels of a major nationwide surge that can be called a fourth wave, though caution is still required as the number of new cases has increased in several prefectures, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said at a parliament meeting on Monday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 05th April, 2021) The current rate of COVID-19 infections in Japan is yet to reach the levels of a major nationwide surge that can be called a fourth wave, though caution is still required as the number of new cases has increased in several prefectures, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said at a parliament meeting on Monday.

The response came amid heavy criticism by the opposition regarding what they believe to be a premature decision to end the coronavirus state of emergency for Osaka and Hyogo prefectures in late February, the NHK World Japan broadcaster reported.

According to Prime Minister, the two western prefectures met the criteria for lifting the state of emergency, though he also noted that the rates of infections have since been surging as more people went outside.

The resulting increase in human traffic has hindered the government's anti-coronavirus efforts, the head of the government's advisory panel on the coronavirus response Omi Shigeru was cited as saying by the broadcaster. Additionally, more mutations of the virus have been reported.

The official warned that the effects of premature lifting of the state of emergency could resurface in the upcoming weeks and urged urgent measures to prevent the crisis, the news stated.

The government has already made a decision earlier last week to implement stricter COVID-19 restrictions in two regions in the west of Japan � Osaka and Hyogo � as well as a region in the north, Miyagi, from Monday without needing a state of emergency declaration as COVID-19 cases have surged.