Travelers with umbrellas walk along the crosswalk as they travel off Japan’s coast of Typhoon Mindul in Tokyo, Friday, October 1, 2021.
Japan completely came out of a state of emergency for the first time in more than six months as the country began to gradually ease virus measures to help rejuvenate the pandemic-hit economy as infections slowed. Done.
At Tokyo’s busy Shinagawa train station, a sea of masked commuters went to work despite the oncoming storm, returning to their offices after a few months of remote work.
Emergency measures for more than half of the country, including Tokyo, ended on Thursday after a steady decline in new caseloads over the past few weeks, helping to ease pressure on Japanese health care systems.
Outgoing Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga thanked the people for their patience and cooperation, and asked them to stick to their basic anti-virus measures.
“Once again, I want your cooperation so that we can feel safe in our daily lives,” he said. The lifting of the emergency marked a new beginning for some.
Office worker Akifumi Sugihara, 46, said he was back at the train station for the first time in almost a year. “I’ve been working from home for over a year, and I came to the office in Tokyo because today (the emergency) was lifted,” he said. “It’s been a while actually. I think it’s a fresh start.”
Another office worker, 37-year-old Kaori Hayashi, said it was a normal Friday. “Nothing has really changed in my mind,” she said. “We still need to be careful. I will be cautious and carry on with my life as usual.”
As the weather cools, Japan is eager to expand social and economic activities while balancing the need to prevent another wave of infections. Officials say the government still needs time to build more temporary COVID-19 treatment facilities and continue vaccinations to prepare for any future resurgence.
The emergency measures mainly include requests from eateries to curb alcohol and hours. They can now serve alcohol and work for more than an hour but still have to shut down at 9 p.m.
On Wednesday, daily reported cases across the country have fallen to below 1,600 – less than a tenth of the nearly 25,000 in mid-August. Experts blamed vaccination progress for the dwindling numbers and increased their social distancing efforts after people worried about the collapse of medical systems during the summer.
About 59% of Japanese people have been fully vaccinated. Japan has nearly 1.69 million cases and 17,641 deaths from COVID-19.
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