Japan reports record daily COVID cases, topping 50,000 for the first time
Japan reported a record number of daily COVID-19 cases on Saturday, topping 50,000 cases for the first time in the pandemic.
Japan recorded 50,200 cases on Saturday, with more than 11,000 of those cases being found in its capital city of Tokyo alone, Japanese broadcaster FNN reported, according to Reuters.
More than 78 percent of Japan's residents are fully vaccinated as the country deals with this surge of cases driven by the highly transmissible omicron variant, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
COVID-19 restrictions were expanded in multiple Japanese municipalities this week in an attempt to curb the spread of the virus.
"We have decided that it is now necessary to prepare so that medical systems can firmly function, take appropriate measures and slow rising case numbers," Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said.
Under this new order, the governors of cities like Tokyo will be permitted to ask restaurants and bars to close early and to stop serving alcohol at a certain time.
The restrictions are set to last for three weeks.
