Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has asked for understanding for the government's request to shut down schools around the country, and promised financial and other support for parents who are inconvenienced.
Abe held a news conference on Saturday to explain his commitment to containing the spread of the new coronavirus, following his government's request for school closures.
The declaration of a coronavirus emergency in the northern Japanese prefecture of Hokkaido has brought an abrupt halt to public activities. Streets are quiet in the prefectural capital Sapporo, one day after the measure came into effect.
Governor Naomichi Suzuki on Friday declared the three-week emergency period through March 19. He urged residents to refrain from going out over this weekend.
Japan's health ministry says it expects a medical test for the new coronavirus to cost 18,000 yen, or about 166 dollars, per person with public insurance.
Ministry officials gave the estimate at a briefing Friday for representatives of medical institutions, inspection companies and universities.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will hold a news conference on Saturday to explain his plan to shut down schools across the country in an effort to contain the spread of the new coronavirus.
The Japanese government on Friday asked elementary, junior, senior high and other schools to close from Monday until the spring holidays in late March.
The governor of the northern Japanese prefecture of Hokkaido has declared a three-week emergency period in response to an outbreak of the new coronavirus in the region.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, Naomichi Suzuki said the situation is getting more serious.
The governor of Japan's northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido has declared the spread of the virus in his prefecture an emergency, calling on residents to stay home this weekend and only go out if necessary.
Naomichi Suzuki said, " I believe that, if nothing is done, the coronavirus infection would spread rapidly. In order to bring an end to this issue as soon as possible, and to protect the lives and health of the residents and minimize the impact on the livelihood, I believe that this is the crucial moment. We must take unprecedented measures in order to curb the situation."
Schools in Japan are busy responding to a request from the government to close down, starting on Monday.
The education ministry on Friday morning asked education boards across the country to shut their schools for about two weeks. That would be until spring break. This is part of efforts to curb the spread of the new coronavirus.
The governor of Japan's northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido has declared a state of emergency in response to the high number of people infected with the new coronavirus there.
Speaking at a news conference on Friday, Naomichi Suzuki also called on local residents to refrain from going out this weekend.
Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says the government will push forward with its plan to temporarily close schools and will not hesitate to take the necessary steps to curb the spread of the new coronavirus.
The government decided on Thursday to request the closure of all elementary, junior and senior high schools and schools for students with special needs from Monday.
There's concern and confusion over the Japanese prime minister's plan to shut down the nation's schools to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. More than 12 million students could be kept home starting next week. Parents scrambles to figure out what to do with their kids.
On Thursday, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe effectively asked all elementary, junior high, senior high schools, and special-needs schools to start their spring holidays from Monday instead of late March. This essentially shutters schools for weeks.
Japan's welfare ministry has asked local authorities to keep childcare facilities open while schools nationwide are closed amid the spread of the new coronavirus.
The request came on Thursday after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe unveiled a plan earlier in the day to effectively ask all elementary, junior high, and senior high schools as well as special-needs schools across the country to start their spring holidays on Monday. The holiday period usually ends in early April.
About 100 more crewmembers who tested negative for the new coronavirus will disembark from the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship on Friday.
They are among the roughly 150 crewmembers who remain on board the ship docked at Yokohama Port, south of Tokyo. Many of them are non-Japanese nationals.
Some Japanese companies have canceled or postponed their initiation ceremonies for new employees to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Electronics maker Toshiba called off its ceremony originally set for April 1 at its headquarters in Tokyo.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has said the government is planning to ask all elementary, junior and senior high schools and special support schools in the country to shut down from Monday, until the start of the spring holidays, in a bid to reduce the risk of students catching the new coronavirus.
Abe unveiled the plan on Thursday at a meeting of the government's taskforce on the coronavirus outbreak.