Japan on Wednesday enacted a law that will punish with fines those who do not comply with restrictions against the coronavirus, as the country seeks to curb the latest wave of infections amid growing uncertainty about the distribution of the vaccine, considered key to the celebration of the Olympics this summer.
The legislation was passed by Parliament and enacted the day after Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga extended a non-binding state of emergency in Tokyo and nine other urban areas for a month, until March 7.
Under laws that take effect next week, restaurants, bars and other businesses that ignore restrictions on shorter hours of service or closings can be fined up to 300,000 yen ($ 2,860). Fines of up to 500,000 yen ($ 4,760) can be imposed on patients who refuse to be hospitalized, and up to 300,000 yen on those who refuse to cooperate with health authorities in contact tracing and other surveys.
Daily infections have decreased since January, but severe cases continue to put pressure on hospitals, experts say. According to data from the Ministry of Health, as of Tuesday Japan had 393,836 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 5,912 deaths.
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