緊急事態要請、引き続き協議　沖縄県が対策本部会議―新型コロナ

　沖縄県は１８日、新型コロナウイルスの感染が急拡大していることを受けて対策本部会議を開いた。政府に対し、緊急事態宣言の発令を要請するかどうか議論したが結論が出ず、１９日以降再度会議を開いて協議することにした。
　県内では現在、宣言に準じる「まん延防止等重点措置」が那覇市など１６市町に適用され、飲食店に午後８時までの営業時間短縮を要請している。しかし、５月の大型連休後に離島の石垣市を含む県内全域で感染者数が急増。１７日夜に開いた県専門家会議で医師から「医療提供体制は緊急事態の状況になっている」との意見が出ていた。
　１８日の対策本部会議では、経済団体に十分説明してさらに理解を得る必要があるとの意見が出たため、要請決定はいったん見送った。（2021/05/18-13:31）

The Okinawa prefectural government on Tuesday postponed a decision on whether to ask the central government to put the southernmost Japan prefecture under its ongoing third novel coronavirus state of emergency.
   The decision on the postponement was made at a meeting of the coronavirus task force of the local government. The task force will discuss the matter again on Wednesday or later.
   Currently, 16 municipalities in Okinawa, including Naha, the prefecture's capital, are in the coronavirus pre-emergency stage set by the state, with restaurants and bars in the areas being asked to close at 8 p.m. or earlier as part of measures to bring the virus under control.
   But the number of new infection cases surged across the island prefecture after the country's Golden Week holiday period between late April and early May. At a prefectural meeting of experts on Monday night, a participating doctor said that the medical care system in Okinawa is "already in an emergency situation."
   At the task force meeting Tuesday, the Okinawa government pushed back a decision on whether to seek the addition of the prefecture to the state of emergency list as some participants stressed the need to give detailed explanations to local economic organizations and seek their understanding, according to sources with access to the gathering.