TOKYO, April 1. /TASS/. Japan has recorded at least 261 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, Japan’s public television informed on Wednesday. This is the highest daily increase in cases in Japan so far.
The majority of cases was detected in Tokyo (66) and Osaka (34), with the total amount of COVID-19 infections reaching 587 in Tokyo and 278 in Osaka.
The total amount of those infected in Japan, including the passengers of the Diamond Princess cruise ship, has reached 3,202. The country has documented 78 deaths, including 11 deaths among the passengers of the cruise ship. About 70 people are in intensive care.
Japan has not introduced strict quarantine measures so far, however, residents of Tokyo are told not to go outside unless it is an urgent matter, especially at night. Local officials are encouraging people to work from home. Governor of Tokyo Yuriko Koike has admitted several times that the capital is on the brink of introducing a state of emergency.
In late December 2019, Chinese authorities notified the World Health Organization (WHO) about the outbreak of a previously unknown pneumonia in the city of Wuhan, in central China. Since then, cases of the novel coronavirus - named COVID-19 by the WHO - have been reported in every corner of the globe, including Russia.
On March 11, 2020, the WHO declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic. To date, more than 850,000 people have been infected worldwide and over 42,000 deaths have been reported.