People wearing face masks cross Shibuya crossing on July 30, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. Photo: Yuichi Yamazaki/Getty Images
Japan expanded its coronavirus state of emergency to four more areas in addition to Tokyo on Friday amid record spikes in infections, AP reports.
The big picture: The state of emergency now includes Saitama, Kanagawa and Chiba, near Tokyo, as well as in the western city of Osaka, effective Monday until Aug. 31.
- Emergency measures remain in place in Olympic host city Tokyo as cases continue to climb.
- “Infections are expanding in the Tokyo and western metropolitan areas at an enormous speed that we have never experienced before,” Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said, per AP.
By the numbers: Tokyo has reported a record increase in cases for three days in a row, including 3,865 on Thursday, before another 3,300 on Friday.
- Japan's seven-day rolling average is growing and now stands at 28 per 100,000 people nationwide and 88 per 100,000 in Tokyo, according to AP.
- Approximately 2,995 are hospitalized in Tokyo, about half the current capacity of 6,000 beds, with some hospitals already full.