All national dailies and NHK reported that the mayor of Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture, decided on Tuesday to close some 40 public facilities and cancel planned events sponsored by the municipality starting on Thursday in response to a flurry of new COVID-19 cases in the past few days. “We may be on the verge of a second wave,” said Mayor Kitahashi. “In order to forestall the arrival of a second wave, we have to stem the emerging trend.” A total of 14 local people have tested positive in the past four days following an absence of new cases for 23 days until May 22. The local authorities reportedly have not been able to trace the routes of infection in 13 of the 14 cases.