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- Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo has lifted the coronavirus-related state of emergency for 39 of the country’s 47 prefectures. But he has kept it in place for Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama, Chiba, Osaka, Kyoto, Hyogo and Hokkaido.
- The Tokyo Metropolitan Government says nine people were confirmed to be infected with the coronavirus on Friday. Six of the cases have untraceable infection routes.
- Japan’s health minister says his ministry will launch large-scale antibody testing to see how widely the coronavirus has spread in the country.
- Japan is lifting its state of emergency for almost 80 percent of the prefectures ahead of schedule. But Prime Minister Abe Shinzo says people in those areas must continue to stay on the alert to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
- A Japanese chemical manufacturer says it will resume production later this week of an organic compound needed to produce a drug for treating coronavirus patients. Tokyo-based Denka announced on Wednesday that its Omi Plant in Niigata Prefecture, central Japan, will resume production of diethyl malonate, a key ingredient for the anti-flu drug Avigan, on May 16.
- A credit research firm says more than 130 Japanese companies have gone bankrupt due to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. Teikoku Databank said 81 companies filed for bankruptcy as of Monday evening. It added 52 other companies are in the process of liquidation. Thus a total of 133 firms have gone under.
- The whole of Japan has been under a state of emergency for about a month, but the government is poised to lift the declaration for about 80 percent of the prefectures.
- India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a more than 260-billion-dollar package to support the nation’s economy which has been hurt by a lockdown due to the coronavirus outbreak.
- New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says three upstate regions could start reopening their economic activities this weekend.
- Japan’s health ministry says it plans to approve antigen tests kits on Wednesday that can quickly screen for the new coronavirus.
- Russian President Vladimir Putin has lifted a nationwide lockdown even as new cases of coronavirus infection in the country keep rising.
- France is winding down its coronavirus restrictions after nearly two months. Citizens are being asked to remain vigilant to stave off a possible second wave of infections.
- Tokyo Metropolitan Government sources say 15 new cases of coronavirus were confirmed on Monday.
- New York State has put new rules in place for nursing homes to protect elderly residents. The move comes as more than 30 percent of the coronavirus deaths in the United States are occurring at extended care homes.
- Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson has unveiled plans to ease coronavirus lockdown in phases over the next two months. In an online speech on Sunday, Johnson announced the plans centering on a phased reopening of shops and schools as early as next month, and the restarting of restaurants and other service industries in July.
- Japan’s government says it may lift the nationwide state of emergency regarding the coronavirus outbreak before the planned end date of May 31 in many of the 34 prefectures that are not under special alert.
- U.S. unemployment surged to a record high last month as the coronavirus pandemic battered the world’s largest economy.
- The United Nations has called for 6.7 billion dollars in additional funds to help vulnerable countries and territories cope with the coronavirus pandemic.
- Shopping malls and outdoor markets have reopened in Israel, where the government has declared the first wave of the coronavirus outbreak over.
- Data compiled by a U.S. university shows the number of confirmed coronavirus cases has topped 3.7 million worldwide.
- Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo said on Wednesday night that his government is trying to craft a so-called “exit strategy” from the coronavirus crisis.
- Japan’s minister in charge of the coronavirus response says the government plans to hear experts’ opinions every week to consider whether to lift the state of emergency for the coronavirus.
- U.S. President Donald Trump is touting his plans to get Americans back to work, and may say they can’t wait. But the push has Trump ignoring expert advice, even from within his own government.
- The United Kingdom’s total number of coronavirus deaths has topped 29,000—the highest in Europe. The number is the second largest in the world after the United States. It’s also the highest in Europe, surpassing Italy.
- Japan has pledged more than 230 million dollars towards the development of a coronavirus vaccine. Prime Minister Abe Shinzo made the pledge during a video message on Monday to a fundraising event led by the European Union.
- A government panel of experts in Japan says it is reviewing the criteria for people to be tested for the coronavirus. The move follows complaints that the current guidance is too restrictive.
- The World Health Organization’s emergency chief says the U.S. allegations that the coronavirus could have originated at a laboratory in China are “speculative.”
- Japan is set to extend its nationwide state of emergency for the coronavirus pandemic by nearly a month until the end of May. It was originally set to expire on Wednesday.
- Some Asian countries are allowing businesses to open as the number of new infection cases seems to be leveling off. The Thai government allowed barber shops, restaurants and some other stores in the capital to reopen from Sunday.
- The U.S. government says it has “enormous evidence” to prove the coronavirus originated in a laboratory in the Chinese city of Wuhan.