Osaka Gov. Hirofumi Yoshimura said the prefecture would request quasi-emergency priority measures be applied in the prefecture, as the occupancy rate of hospital beds for COVID-19 patients is close to 35%, the benchmark for seeking such measures.
The prefecture's task force was to make a formal decision on Friday. Kyoto and Hyogo prefectures are also likely to seek quasi-emergency priority measures.
On Thursday, the Tokyo metropolitan government raised its infection alert level to the highest of four possible ranks, indicating that "large-scale infections continue to spread."
Tokyo also raised its alert level regarding the medical system to the second-highest rank, indicating it was "necessary to limit ordinary treatments and strengthen the system."
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