Asia

Japanese PM Calls for Event Cancellations for Another 10 Days to Prevent Spread of Virus

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe / KYODO

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By Kyodo News 11 March 2020

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday requested that big sports and cultural events in Japan be canceled or postponed for 10 more days as the government needs more time to gauge the effectiveness of its measures to contain the new coronavirus.

“We are at an extremely important time to prevent any rapid spread of domestic infections,” Abe said at a meeting of a government task force on the new coronavirus response. “For about 10 days until the expert panel makes its fresh assessment, I’d like to ask for cooperation [from organizers].”

The request comes a day after a government panel of medical experts said Japan has so far stemmed a surge in domestic infections, but it is too early to relax vigilance.