Osaka Governor Hirofumi Yoshimura speaks at a news conference on May 19. (Yuki Kubota)
OSAKA--Osaka Prefecture decided to ask the central government to re-extend the COVID-19 state of emergency for the prefecture because of the continued strain on the health care system.
The official decision was made at the prefectural government’s task force meeting on May 25.
Osaka Governor Hirofumi Yoshimura has been cautious about the lifting of the emergency declaration for his prefecture scheduled on May 31. The state of emergency for the prefecture was already extended on May 12.
“We managed to curb the growth in infections, and (new cases) are now on the decline,” Yoshimura said at the meeting. “But the health care system is still under severe strain.”