Fewer People In Hakata on First Day of State of Emergency
On Jan. 14, Fukuoka Prefecture announced 341 new cases of the new coronavirus infection. Amongst them were ten members of the Higashi Fukuoka High School volleyball team, who recently returned from Tokyo after winning a national tournament on Jan. 10. Also, the region reported two more deaths linked to the disease. The number of daily screenings topped five thousand for the first time, and the positive rate was 6.7%. Also, as of Jan. 13, the occupancy rate of hospital beds stood at 70.3% and that for critical treatments at 18.2%. On the first day of the state of emergency, the number of people who visited the surrounding area of JR Hakata Station saw a 6% decline, compared to the average weekday in December 2020. Commuters answered to media interviews that trains and buses remained crowded almost as usual.