Tokyo, Jan 21 : Japan logged 49,854 fresh Covid-19 cases Today, as the country plans to expand the quasi-state of emergency amid surging infections nationwide due to the highly transmissible Omicron variant.

Tokyo was the worst hit with 9,699 cases while the Osaka prefecture logged 6,254 cases.

Many parts of the country have been struggling with what was considered the country’s “sixth wave” of infections. The cumulative total of Covid-19 infections in Japan exceeded two million on Thursday.

The country plans to expand the enforcement of a quasi-state of emergency to a total of 29 of all 47 prefectures.

Osaka and seven other prefectures demanded on Friday that the central government declare a quasi-state of emergency for them too in an effort to curb the ongoing surging infections.

The central government has previously decided to widen the quasi-state of emergency to Tokyo and 12 other prefectures for three weeks beginning Friday, allowing local governments to ask restaurants and bars to end operation early and stop or limit the serving of alcohol.(UNI)