TOKYO (The Straits Times/ANN): Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Friday (Feb 28) stood firm on his call for schools to close for a month, amid stiff pushback from parents, educators and infectious diseases experts who say the move was excessive and unnecessary
Separately, Tokyo Disney Resort, which covers Disneyland and Disney Sea, also said on Friday that it will close from Saturday until March 15, joining other popular tourist attractions such as the Ghibli Museum and the Kabukiza theatre in Ginza in shutting their doors to curb the spread of the virus.
The coronavirus outbreak has robbed graduating students across the country of the chance to don their graduation robes, including at Waseda University in Tokyo. "I'm aware of views that if the virus spreads, it could have a huge impact on the economy," he added."We're therefore watching developments carefully."He said:"The government would make financial arrangements to alleviate the burden on households, including dual-income and single-parent families, that are affected by the policy."
"The government has to be cautious with such large-scale unprecedented moves. There is not too much time for citizens and our city to make preparations".This excludes another 705 cases, including four deaths, among passengers and crew members of the Diamond Princess cruise ship off Yokohama. "The infections so far have had a large regional difference, and such a uniform plan nationwide makes no sense," he wrote on Twitter.
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