Japanese Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe has ordered the closure of all elementary, middle and high schools across the country, in order to control the coronavirus spread. This order will remain until spring holidays begin in late March.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says measure comes amid growing concern about the coronavirus spread, as cases in the number of untraceable infected persons in northern Japan and elsewhere rise.
Japan now has more than 890 cases, including 705 from a quarantined cruise ship, the Associated Press reports.
Officials in Japan’s northernmost main island of Hokkaido said earlier Thursday that they were closing all 1,600 elementary and middle schools in the island prefecture, with the governor saying the coming one to two weeks are crucial in fighting the coronavirus spread.
The number of countries with infected persons outside of China has risen to 20, and more countries are likely to record their first cases, as the coronavirus spread globally with more deaths being recorded.