As outbreaks flatten in places, Japan, India see more cases

NEW YORK: Coronavirus infections are spiking in Japan and creating hot spots in India's congested cities just as the US and some of the hardest-hit European countries are considering when to start easing restrictions that have helped curb their outbreaks of the disease.

Japan reported more than 500 new cases for the first time Thursday, a worrisome rise since it has the world's oldest population and Covid-19 can be especially serious in the elderly. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe declared a state of emergency, but not a lockdown, in Tokyo and six other prefectures earlier this week. Companies in the world's third-largest economy have been slow to embrace working from home, and many commuters were on Tokyo's streets as usual.