amid rising COVID-19 cases - after insisting it would go ahead - looks likely to cost him support and may cloud his chances of a long-term tenure.
Abe's own support ratings never recovered after sagging on the public's perception that his response to the pandemic was clumsy and slow. In brief remarks last Saturday - after a three-day holiday was underway - Suga said the government would suspend new travel reservations to areas hard hit by COVID-19 under its Go To Travel programme, which subsidises tourism.Critics of the programme have said it risks spreading the coronavirus from major cities to the countryside.
Experts advising the government - who on Friday had finally urged a partial pause in the Go To Travel programme - had been"somewhat forced" to accept policies to help the economy despite such increased health risks, he told Reuters.
Singapore Latest News, Singapore Headlines
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