TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Friday called for people to refrain from traveling before and during the country's Golden Week holiday period in late April and early May to prevent a further rise in COVID-19 cases.

"We must avoid creating flows of people from urban districts to regional areas," Abe told his fifth news conference on the novel coronavirus since the country's first case was confirmed in January.

Flows of people such as trips "will surely cause the most dreadful, rapid and nationwide spread of the virus," he said.

"We need to request closures of tourist facilities," Abe said.

His press conference came a day after the government expanded its state of emergency over the coronavirus pandemic to the entire country. The emergency declaration will remain in place until May 6.

Referring to a record one-day increase of over 200 coronavirus cases marked in Tokyo Friday, he said, "It's very severe."

The prime minister said, "It's difficult to cut the number of cases drastically unless we slash contact between people by at least 70 pct and as much as 80 pct."

"Everything depends on individual actions," Abe said, urging people across the country not to go to nightlife districts.

Abe apologized for confusion caused by a sudden change in the government's policy over benefits to people to cushion the virus' economic impact.

The government on Thursday unveiled plans to provide cash handouts of 100,000 yen per person, withdrawing earlier plans to distribute 300,000 yen to struggling households.

"It's my responsibility for creating confusion, and I want to make an apology from the bottom of my heart," Abe said. But he said the change will boost fiscal spending to more than 14 trillion yen from 6 trillion yen.

Abe also said testing centers will be set up across the country to increase the availability of polymerase chain reaction, or PCR, tests for the virus.

Shigeru Omi, chairman of the government's coronavirus response advisory panel, said that certain restrictions will remain needed in May and later.

At a parliamentary committee meeting earlier on Friday, Abe suggested that the emergency declaration may be in place beyond May 6. "What needs to be done will be done if insufficient," he said.

JIJI Press