Message from the Governor regarding to COVID-19

The Fukuoka Prefectural Government have decided to request the following to prefectural residents for their cooperation, based on the current infection situation and the medical institutions, as well as the "State of Emergency Declaration" and " Basic Guidelines for Measures " issued by the national government covering Tokyo, Saitama, Chiba, and Kanagawa Prefectures,
We would like to ask the prefectural residents to do the following.

Refrain from traveling to regions subject to the state of emergency declaration (until February 7)

• Please refrain from traveling to Tokyo, Saitama, Chiba, and Kanagawa prefectures until February 7.

When having dinner (including a dinner at home)

• When having a meal, please have it in small groups with people you normally eat with. Also, please refrain from eating for a long time.
• When eating out, please go to restaurants that have the "Infection Prevention Sticker" displayed. Please wear a mask when talking and avoid talking loudly.

When going out and traveling

• Please be cautious and consider your own health condition and those who you’ll be with
• Please make a careful decision, if you are traveling out of the prefecture, please check the infection status of your destination and address from the local government (excluding regions declared state of emergency)
• Please avoid crowded places
• Please wear a mask and wash your hands thoroughly. In addition, please pay attention to the distance between people and try to avoid three Cs
• For people who have a lot of contact with elderly people should act cautiously to avoid spreading the infection to those who are more likely to become seriously ill, such as the elderly

In Fukuoka Prefecture, the cumulative number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 has exceeded 10,000 cases.
Currently, there is no immediate threat to the Medical institutions, but the current infection situation is unpredictable, and we need to watch future trends with a strong sense of caution.
If the spread of the infection does not stop and there is a risk that the medical institutions will become overwhelmed, the Fukuoka Prefectural Government will be forced to consider additional measures, including requesting the national government to include Fukuoka Prefecture a part of the stare of emergency declaration. This is a critical moment for us.

Once again, I would like to ask all prefectural residents for their cooperation.