The Japanese prime minister has ordered the closure of all schools across the nation to prevent the spread of the deadly coronavirus.
“The government considers the health and safety of children above anything else,” Shinzo Abe said.
“We request all primary, junior high and high schools… across the nation to close temporarily from March 2 next week until their spring break.”
Over 200 Japanese have contracted the killer virus and four have passed away. In Hokkaido, 13 new cases were confirmed, including two young children, according to the public broadcaster NHK.
Osaka officials have already ordered the temporary closure of all schools in the city and around 1,600 schools were also set to close in Hokkaido after an 80-year-old man with lung and heart diseases passed away from coronavirus.
The order comes after a 40-year-old woman in Osaka tested positive for coronavirus for the second time. She was working on a tour bus with visitors from Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak.
It was on January 29 when she was tested positive for the virus. After testing negative on February 6, she was discharged from the hospital but symptoms reappeared and she was diagnosed with coronavirus again.
According to reports, the driver of the tour bus also contracted the virus.
“We will make sure that people who should be tested, get tested, and will avoid a worst-case scenario by preventing these people from developing symptoms and serious conditions,” said Osaka governor Hirofumi Yoshimura.
An official in Osaka, which has a population of 2.6 million, said the municipal government was holding a meeting to discuss the measures concerning the killer virus in the city.
The country said that the planned visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping is going ahead. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said in a news conference: “Things are on track for President Xi Jinping’s visit to Japan, and we are proceeding as usual with preparations.”
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Replaced!