The Japanese government’s coronavirus advisory panel approved a plan on Thursday to move eight more prefectures to more focused anti-virus measures in a quasi-state of emergency from August 8 to August 31 in response to the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19). The prefectures are Fukushima, Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma, Shizuoka, Aichi, Shiga, and Kumamoto. Five other prefectures — Kyoto, Hokkaido, Fukuoka, Hyogo, and Ishikawa — already moved to more focused anti-virus measures on Monday. All 13 prefectures will remain in a quasi-state of emergency until August 31.
Japan reported 15,263 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, the second day in a row with a new record daily count and the first time it topped 15,000. Japan’s total number of infections is 986,451. The country has had 15,241 deaths due to the virus.
Tokyo reported 5,042 new cases on Thursday, which is the first time the…
