In the evening, the national government officially announced an extension to the state of emergency until May 31, including the “special alert prefectures” policy affecting thirteen areas, including Fukuoka Prefecture. Fukuoka Governor Hiroshi Ogawa responded to this by holding a press conference, in which he expressed the intention to continue closure requests to local businesses until the end of May. Residents of the prefecture are requested to continue to refrain from outings except for essential activities such as buying groceries, receiving medical treatments, and commuting to their workplaces. The prefecture intends to scale up its support for those who lose jobs by offering approximately 7,000 limited-term positions (May ~ July.) Meanwhile, education-wise, the prefecture will try to minimize the negative effect of the situation by allowing for more flexible school schedules. Four regions in the prefecture are expected to consider reopenings within the next two weeks or so, by setting up new systems such as different school days/hours for different classes or grades. On May 4, Fukuoka Prefecture announced one new case of COVID-19 infection, bringing the cumulative total to 648. A total of 351 patients have reportedly recovered from the virus in the prefecture (including those who left hospitals and who recovered at home or other treatment facilities.). Sources: Fukuoka Prefecture / NHK
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