Saturday’s Mainichi led with a story on the dramatic improvement in the nation’s coronavirus infection situation, noting that the number of new cases was only 268 nationwide on Thursday, almost one-hundredth of the peak figure of 25,851 cases recorded on Aug. 20. Experts attributed the steep decline to the expedited rollout of vaccines and the enforcement of thorough infection prevention and mitigation protocols by individuals and businesses, such as wearing face masks, restricting alcohol sales at night, and ensuring adequate ventilation at restaurants and bars. The paper added that many epidemiologists are still worried that there is potential for a sixth wave in the winter as the air will become drier and more people are likely to venture out for holiday shopping and travel.