TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga extended the state of emergency over the Covid-19 pandemic in struggling regions for one month to March 7.

The state of emergency first declared by Suga on January 7 will be extended for 10 of the 11 previously affected regions including Tokyo's neighboring prefectures of Saitama, Chiba and Kanagawa, as well as Osaka, Kyoto, Hyogo, Fukuoka, Aichi and Gifu prefectures.

"Thanks to the measures and the cooperation of the Japanese people, we are beginning to see clear results. We are asking you to hang on for a little longer so that we can firmly establish a downtrend in infections," Suga told a press briefing on the matter after meeting with the COVID-19 task force.

With 2,324 new infections reported nationwide as of 8:20 p.m. local time on Tuesday, bringing the nation's cumulative total of cases to 394,799 and death toll to 5,965 people, the Xinhua news agency reported.

The Tokyo metropolitan government, meanwhile, reported 556 new infections on Tuesday, with the number of new daily cases marking the fifth straight day that infections have dipped below the 1,000-mark.

Under the state of emergency declared last month, bars and restaurants were asked to cut down their operating hours and shut their doors by 8:00 pm and people were asked to refrain from making unnecessary trips outdoors, especially in the evenings.

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