Japanese prime minister, Shinzo Abe, speaks in Tokyo
- Regional framework on the state of emergency will continue to apply
- Experts will assess the situation again 10 days from now
- Wants to remove areas from state of emergency when decidedly possible
- The next month is for 'bringing the outbreak to a close'
This was widely expected since last week already so this is in some ways just merely a formality given the situation. His final remark on 'bringing the outbreak to a close' is hopeful, but I think it should not be mistaken with complacency over the next year or so.
Japan needs to close the coronavirus chapter as soon as possible to avoid a cancellation of the Olympics next year, so expect that to be a consideration for future action by the government in dealing with the virus outbreak in the coming months.
