東京、緊急宣言要請も視野　小池知事「先手の対応不可欠」―新型コロナ

　東京都の小池百合子知事は１８日夜、新型コロナウイルスの新規感染者数が再び増加傾向にあることに関し「先手先手の対応が不可欠だ。（政府への）緊急事態宣言の要請も視野に入れて、スピード感を持って検討するよう、職員に指示した」と述べた。都庁内で記者団に語った。
　都内の同日の新規感染者は５４３人に上り、６日連続で５００人を超えた。小池氏は「日曜日としては高い数字で、上昇基調には変わりがない」と指摘。前週から新規感染者数が約２割増えていることに触れつつ、感染力の強い変異ウイルスが若い世代などに広がっていることや人出の増加への懸念も重ねて示した。（2021/04/18-23:23）

Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike on Sunday hinted at the possibility of asking the Japanese government to declare yet another state of emergency over the coronavirus pandemic.
   The governor said she has instructed metropolitan government officials to respond to a renewed rise in the number of COVID-19 cases in Tokyo with a sense of speed and with an eye to the possible request for emergency declaration. "It's indispensable that we act pre-emptively," Koike said.
   On Sunday, the metropolitan government reported 543 new coronavirus cases in Tokyo. The daily coronavirus tally topped 500 for the sixth straight day.
   "It was a high figure for a Sunday and shows that we remain on an uptrend," Koike told reporters.
   Touching on the fact that the daily count of new infection cases in Tokyo has risen some 20 pct from a week earlier, Koike reiterated her concern about the spread of highly contagious coronavirus variants among young people and the increase of people going out.