Pandemic Unemployment Payment claims dropped 13,498 to 363,167 down from a peak of 480,000 in February, data from the social protection department showed.
Many debts racked up recently by companies are spread over long durations "which increases the chances of them being able to be paid back and therefore bankruptcy is not picking up very much from current relatively subdued levels," Haldane said.
A surge in recent days has seen patients' families taking to social media to beg for oxygen supplies and locations of available hospital beds, and has forced the capital New Delhi to extend a week-long lockdown.
"Unfortunately, there will be no fans this year as we're in a difficult situation with a lot of people contracting the virus on a daily basis," the ATP 250 event's organiser Djordje Djokovic told Serbia's Nova S television.
"It's a very difficult year for everyone and the restrictions have resulted in a lot injuries. Regrettably, Borna Coric and Stan Wawrinka have had to pull out but it's still going to be a very strong field.
Some 600,000 Olympic tickets purchased by overseas residents will be refunded, as will another 300,000 Paralympic tickets, Toshiro Muto, the chief executive of the Tokyo 2020 organising committee told a news conference.
"People who are involved in the Olympics in some way may be allowed to enter the country, whereas regular visitors will not be able to," Tokyo 2020's Muto said.
The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases predicted that the number of daily reported cases could exceed 30,000 in the 14th week of the year starting April 12.
"An extrapolation of the trends shows that case numbers can be expected above the Christmas level from week 14 onwards," the RKI said in its current situation report.
Under the state of emergency, the government has requested restaurants and bars close by 8 p.m. and stop serving alcohol an hour earlier. People are also asked to stay home after 8 p.m. unless they have essential reasons to go out.
Suga made the announcement, echoing an earlier one made by the Economy Minister, at the start of a meeting on handling the coronavirus.
The new cases took the cumulative total of infections to 209,661. The health ministry also reported 13 new deaths, raising total fatalities from the pandemic to 746.
British scientists say the UK variant, known as B.1.1.7, may be up to 70% more transmissible and also more lethal - with a mortality risk around 30% higher.
Due to the fact that these variants are transmitted more rapidly, which could explain the speed of spread of the disease in some countries.