TOKYO: Japanese prefectural governors Saturday urged the national government to take thorough measures to prevent a novel coronavirus “fifth wave” as the COVID-19 state of emergency will end in nine prefectures Sunday.

In its proposal to the state, the National Governors’ Association also said the best efforts should be made in order not to spread infections during this summer’s Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics.

“The fourth wave came before the third wave fully ended. We can’t make the same mistake,” Shunji Kono, governor of Miyazaki Prefecture, told a videoconference attended by 41 governors.

Analyzing the current situation, the association said that caution is necessary as the delta variant, first found in India, is spreading across Japan, including the Tokyo metropolitan area.

To prevent the fifth wave, the central government needs to strengthen the country’s border control and coronavirus testing system so it will fully cover variant strains, the proposal also said.

Regarding the Tokyo Games, the governors asked for measures to thoroughly manage the movements of related officials coming to Japan. They also urged the state to quickly consider mass COVID-19 vaccinations for the games’ volunteers and discuss how to handle the public viewings.

The central government was also asked to allow universities and companies with under 1,000 people to conduct mass vaccinations at their own venues, which is currently not allowed in principle.

In addition, the association requested the government to give a clear schedule of receiving U.S. drugmaker Pfizer Inc.’s vaccine in and after August.

JIJI Press