Japan's tally of new-flu infections comes to 342

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TOKYO, May 24 Kyodo -
The tally of new-influenza infections in Japan rose to 342 in seven prefectures
Sunday, as four more people, including a 19-year-old man in Toyono, Osaka
Prefecture, and an 18-year-old male high school student in Nishinomiya, Hyogo
Prefecture, were newly found infected.
Osaka and Hyogo prefectures, where more than 310 of the confirmed patients
live, are however set to allow elementary, junior high and high schools to
resume classes Monday, after having them closed down for about one week.
The prefectural governments said the worst is apparently over with recent
surveys showing the number of new infection cases having begun to decline.
The decisions came after the central government relaxed its policy Friday,
allowing local governments to decide on school closing in accordance with
situations in each area.
The Hyogo prefectural government and Kobe municipal government decided Friday
on the resumption of classes, and the prefectural and municipal governments of
Osaka did so Saturday.
But some schools, including Kobe High School in Kobe and Kansai Okura Senior
High School in Osaka, where a host of students were hit by the new H1N1 strain
of influenza A, will remain closed.
In the two prefectures, reports continued that a number of events were canceled
and many citizens scrapped travel plans or are even avoiding going out.
Osaka Gov. Hashimoto said Saturday his government will work hard to help the
prefecture's cities get functioning again normally so people can return to
their regular routines as soon as possible.
As of 9 p.m. Sunday Japan time, at least 12,500 people in 47 countries and
territories were confirmed as having been infected with the new flu, with 92
dead in Mexico, the United States, Canada and Costa Rica, according to reports
from authorities concerned.
==Kyodo