Tokyo – The Japanese government requests its citizens not to travel between areas where the coronavirus state of emergency is in place and other locations once the measure is partially lifted, Economic and Fiscal policy minister Yasutoshi Nishimura said today.

The request will be included in the government’s basic COVID-19 response policy, Nishimura said in a videoconference with Kamon Iizumi, the governor of Tokushima Prefecture and the president of the National Governors’ Association.

Nishimura made the comments after the association proposed that the government asks citizens not to travel across prefectural borders even after the state of emergency is partially lifted.

“The state of emergency may be lifted for many prefectures if there are no spikes in new coronavirus cases,” Nishimura said. But he added that new waves of infections could occur if people lower their guards.

The government is considering lifting the state of emergency in some of the 13 prefectures placed on a special coronavirus alert, in addition to the rest of the country. A further decision will be made on Thursday. (Japan Times)