The Tokyo Metropolitan Government confirmed 197 new COVID-19 infections on Saturday, breaking the single-day record for a fourth consecutive day, metro officials said.
The figure topped the previous record of 189 marked Friday, taking the capital's total closer to the 2,000 line.
Tokyo remains in a state of emergency along with six other prefectures. Its latest figure for cases of the pneumonia-causing virus comes as the designated prefectures entered their first weekend under the status.
To beef up the nation's efforts to contain the contagion, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe gave all 47 governors the authority to ask their residents to refrain from visiting nightclubs, hostess bars and other busy nightlife spots to prevent more cluster infections of the novel coronavirus from forming.
On April 4, the daily rise in coronavirus cases in Tokyo topped 100 for the first time.
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