The decision came just a day after the consultant team of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare warned that new COVID-19 infections is showing signs of increasing after the long vacation ended on Wednesday. On Thursday, the first working day after the long vacation, Japan recorded 4,380 new infections nationwide. COVID-19 deaths also increased by 14 to 65.
Japan has tightened immigration control of Japanese citizens and foreigners from India, where pandemic is raging.
 Men wearing PPE prepare to cremate their loved ones who died of COVID-19 on the banks of the Ganges River, Uttar Pradesh, India, May 6. Photo: REUTERS
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India on Friday recorded more than 414,000 new infections in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of cases to nearly 21.5 million. This was the third time within a week the South Asian country’s new infections topped the 400,000 mark per day. Several states in India have imposed a nightly curfew or partial lockdown, while the capital New Delhi is currently imposing the third lockdown, effective until Monday.
In a related development, a latest analysis by the Institute of Health Measurement and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington showed that the COVID-19 pandemic caused nearly 6.9 million deaths worldwide, more than double the current official figure. According to the analysis, there have been deaths caused by COVID-19 that are not counted as most countries only count hospital deaths or confirmed cases of COVID-19.