TOKYO: The spread of the novel coronavirus in Japan is believed to have peaked out around April 1, a panel of experts set up by the government has said.

The average number of people whom an infected person will transmit the coronavirus to, or the so-called effective reproduction number, fell below one in the country around April 1, according to a report by the panel on Friday.

Still, the panel noted that the number of new infections is decreasing only slowly, as social distancing efforts have been missing the government's goal of reducing interpersonal contact by 80 pct.

Group infections at medical and welfare facilities also seem to be keeping the reproduction number from dropping sharply, it said.

On April 10, the nationwide reproduction number came to 0.7, while Tokyo's number fell to 0.5.

The lower figure for Tokyo can be partly attributed to Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike's March 25 request on people in the capital to avoid going out for nonessential reasons, Hokkaido University Prof. Hiroshi Nishiura, who makes infection estimates for the panel, pointed out.

Nishiura also mentioned the metropolitan government's request on nightclubs and other facilities to close after the central government declared a state of emergency over the coronavirus in early April.

He said, however, it remains to be seen whether Tokyo's reproduction number will remain low.

JIJI Press