Tokyo is likely to see coronavirus cases top 280 on Thursday, Governor Yuriko Koike said, in what would mark a record daily high for the Japanese capital.
“It’s still incomplete, but I’m hearing that the number will be above 280,” Koike told reporters, noting that the metropolis was conducting more than 4 000 tests on Thursday.
Meanwhile, a government campaign to kickstart domestic tourism after the coronavirus outbreak has come under fire with officials in Tokyo and the countryside saying it’s too soon to boost travel from the capital, hit by a spike in new cases.
A panel of experts was set to meet with Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura to discuss the multi-billion dollar “Go To”promotion on Thursday, a day after Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike publicly queried the campaign’s timing and methods.
Scheduled to kick off July 22, the campaign will see travellers receive subsidies of as much as 50% in an effort to boost tourism-reliant economies outside of Japan’s major population areas.
Nishimura said he wanted to hear the panel’s opinions on containment measures, such as preventing large gatherings and ensuring ventilation in means of transport.
