• 
• 
• 
• 

On May 14, 2021, the Prime Minister held the 64th meeting of the Novel Coronavirus Response Headquarters at the Prime Minister’s Office.
 
At the meeting, the participants discussed the response to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

Following the discussion, the Prime Minister said,
 
 “Today, it was decided that Hokkaido, Okayama, and Hiroshima Prefectures will be added to the areas subject to the declaration of a state of emergency for the period of May 16 to May 31 and to add Gunma, Ishikawa, and Kumamoto Prefectures to the areas where priority measures to prevent the spread of disease are in effect for the period of May 16 to June 13.
 
Nationally, we see differences in the state of infections depending on the area, with infections spreading quickly in some areas. Meanwhile, the number of new infections in Hokkaido, Okayama, and Hiroshima Prefectures, all of which have relatively large populations, is increasing at an extremely rapid pace. Therefore, it was decided that the three prefectures will be added to the areas subject to the declaration, based on the discussions by the experts in a meeting of the subcommittee this morning.
 
In the areas subject to the declaration of the state of emergency, we will implement measures, including suspending the serving of alcohol and the offering of karaoke services at dining and drinking establishments and promoting telework, in cooperation with each local government. In addition, in the areas where priority measures to prevent the spread of disease are in effect, we will undertake intensive measures, including shortening the operating hours of and conducting patrols of dining and drinking establishments, and moreover, we have also made it possible to take measures equivalent to those in effect under the declaration of the state of emergency, such as suspending the serving of alcohol at these establishments.
 
Vaccinations will be the decisive factor in our response measures. Starting this week, full-scale administration of the vaccines has been underway by local governments all around the nation. The Government will make all-out efforts to accelerate administration of the vaccine to ensure that all elderly persons desiring it will be completely inoculated by the end of July.
 
I ask each minister to continue to thoroughly implement measures, following today’s decision.”