April 6 coronavirus news

By Ben Westcott, Rob Picheta, Melissa Macaya, Melissa Mahtani, Mike Hayes and Veronica Rocha, CNN

Updated 1:31 AM ET, Wed April 7, 2021

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2:37 a.m. ET, April 6, 2021

3 Japanese prefectures strengthen coronavirus restrictions as cases rise

From CNN's Chandler Thornton and Junko

Japanese prefectures Osaka, Hyogo, and Miyagi are strengthening their Covid-19 measures amid a rise in cases in the country, public broadcaster NHK reported.

The restrictions, which are set to last one month, include asking bars and restaurants to close by 8 p.m. and will prevent entry to customers without a mask.

Osaka prefecture is set to hold the Tokyo Olympic torch relay on April 14, but organizers are asking for the event to be moved because of the rise in cases, NHK reported.

Osaka Gov. Yoshimura Hirofumi told reporters on Monday the torch relay will not be held on public roads and is still looking into the possibility of alternative sites for the event.

Japan's Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said Monday the rise in coronavirus cases has not yet reached the level of a nationwide fourth wave, but extra vigilance is required.

Japan's Health Ministry reported 1,554 new infections on Monday. The overall total number of confirmed cases in the country now stands at 485,797 and the death toll at 9,259. Tokyo reported 249 cases on Monday, according to its government site.

Japan's rise in cases come four months ahead of the Olympics, set to start July 23 in Tokyo. North Korea has reportedly decided drop out of the Games due to concerns its athletes could contract the virus.

2:41 a.m. ET, April 6, 2021

Indian states call for vaccine age restriction to be lowered as Covid-19 cases surge

From CNN's Esha Mitra in New Delhi

A BMC medical staff member administers a dose of the Covid-19 vaccine at the Urban Health Training Centre on April 3 in Mumbai, India. Anshuman Poyrekar/Hindustan Times/Getty Images

India's Maharashtra state and the union territory of Delhi have asked the central government to lower the age limit of those eligible to take the Covid-19 vaccine amid a rise in new cases.

"If the central government allows us to vaccinate people on a mass level then we can create thousands of facilities in schools, community centers and start a war of a vaccination drive," Arvind Kejriwal, Chief Minister of Delhi, said Monday.

Since April 1, the Indian government has provided Covid-19 vaccinations to anyone age 45 and over.

In Maharashtra, where weekend lockdowns and night curfews have been put in place until the end of April to curb the spread of the virus, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray reiterated the request to lower the age threshold.

"If a larger number of our young and working population is vaccinated, the intensity of the cases would be much lower than the treatment that they need today," Thackeray said in his letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, asking for the eligibility to be lowered to all above the age of 25.

Maharashtra state accounts for more than half of the new Covid-19 cases in the country.

India is facing a second wave of coronavirus, with more than 100,000 infections reported on Monday, its highest single-day rise since the beginning of the pandemic.

On Tuesday, India reported 96,982 cases, taking the total to 12,686,049, including 165,547 deaths, according to the Indian Ministry of Health.