Japan's virus tally jumps by 507 to 7,255

Japan had 507 new confirmed cases of the virus for a national total of 7,255, plus 712 others from a cruise ship quarantined earlier this year near Tokyo, with 114 deaths.

Tokyo alone had 166 cases, with a prefectural total at 2,068 cases, or about a quarter of the nation’s total. Tokyo is under a state of emergency declared by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe last week, along with six other prefectures.

Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike went ahead and asked non-essential businesses such as hostess bars, movie theaters and schools to close until May 6, with some exceptions, beginning Saturday, but most other prefectures have fallen behind. Saitama, north of Tokyo, started non-essential business closures today, and its Gov. Motohiro Ono said he planned to ask the central government financial support for the prefecture’s planned compensation for the business closures. Abe’s government initially issued a stay at home request in the seven prefectures, and broadened it to nationwide on Saturday, but wants non-business closures to wait until effects of the stay home request are evaluated.-AP