Restrictions to be lifted in Osaka, Kyoto and Hyogo

Japan’s state of emergency is likely to be lifted in three more prefectures as early as next week.

Japan.- Japan’s state of emergency is likely to be lifted in Osaka, Kyoto and Hyogo as early as next week, according to reports.

Japanese Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, is set to make a decision on whether to lift the state of emergency imposed on the cities today, as Covid-19 cases in the three prefectures continue to decline.

39 out of 47 prefectures had their state of emergency lifted last week but it will continue to apply in Tokyo, Saitama, Kanagawa, Chiba and Hokkaido until May 31.

The Japanese government has set several criteria to ease restrictions in prefectures.

One of which looks at the ratio of new Covid-19 cases against the total population of the prefecture.

Another is the availability of healthcare facilities to accommodate more patients suffering from the virus.