宮城、新潟、岡山も対策宣言　発令自治体１１府県に―新型コロナ

　宮城、新潟、岡山３県は５日、新型コロナウイルスの感染急拡大を受け、政府が新設した「ＢＡ．５対策強化宣言」を発令した。医療提供体制の逼迫（ひっぱく）を抑制するのが狙い。これで宣言自治体は全国で１１府県に上った。期間はいずれも同日から３１日まで。（2022/08/05-12:15）

Three more prefectures in Japan issued on Friday declarations for beefing up measures against the rapidly spreading BA.5 omicron subvariant of the novel coronavirus.
   The declarations, intended to help ease the squeeze on the local medical systems, will be effective until Aug. 31. The three are the northeastern prefecture of Miyagi, the central prefecture of Niigata and the western prefecture of Okayama.
   "How we can protect elderly people is important," Niigata Governor Hideyo Hanazumi told Friday's meeting of the prefecture's COVID-19 response headquarters, urging local residents to make sure that they wear face masks, among other measures.
   The Okayama prefectural government called on elderly and other people at high risk of developing severe symptoms to avoid visiting crowded places.
   The declaration for stepped-up measures against BA.5 can be issued by prefectural governments at their own decisions based on criteria such as the COVID-19 hospital bed occupancy rate topping 50 pct.