まん延防止、８県追加　月末まで、「第５波」なお拡大―政府・新型コロナ

　政府は８日、新型コロナウイルス対策として、まん延防止等重点措置の対象に福島、茨城、栃木、群馬、静岡、愛知、滋賀、熊本の８県を追加した。期間は３１日まで。インド由来のデルタ株が急拡大しており、政府は感染対策の徹底などを引き続き訴える。全国規模の感染爆発を食い止めたい考えだが、「第５波」収束の見通しは立っていない。
　対象地域では、飲食店に午後８時までの営業時間短縮や酒類提供の原則停止を求める。感染が下降傾向にある場合には、午後７時まで提供できる。知事の命令に従わない事業者には２０万円以下の過料を科せる。（2021/08/08-00:09）

The Japanese government on Sunday placed eight more prefectures in the COVID-19 pre-emergency stage through Aug. 31.
   The government will continue to call on people to take thorough measures against infections at a time when the number of new cases involving the highly contagious delta variant, first confirmed in India, is surging in Japan.
   There is no sign that the fifth wave of infections, currently hitting Japan, will be brought under control anytime soon despite the government's efforts to prevent explosive growth in the number of new infection cases nationwide through state of emergency and pre-emergency measures.
   The pre-emergency status allows prefectural governors to impose restrictions similar to but less strict than those introduced under an emergency declaration.
   The government will call on restaurants and bars in the newly added eight prefectures of Fukushima, Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma, Shizuoka, Aichi, Shiga and Kumamoto to close before 8 p.m. and stop serving alcoholic beverages in principle under the pre-emergency state.