TOKYO, April 7 (Reuters) - With just hours left on Tuesday before Japan imposes a state of emergency on Tokyo and six other prefectures to contain the coronavirus, the idea of leaving the capital, or "Escape from Tokyo," swirled on social media.

Reuters: Though Japan's outbreak remains small compared with some overseas, alarm over the steady rise of cases in Tokyo to more than 1,000 - roughly a quarter of the country's total - along with an increase in other urban centres, is prompting the state of emergency.

Reuters: Karuizawa, a mountainous area long known as a fashionable weekend retreat, has already seen a rise in cars with Tokyo-area number plates, according to local media, particularly on the two weekends since Tokyo's governor asked people to stay home.

Reuters: Officials have warned against leaving, saying it could burden already-strained local medical systems.

Reuters:

"That will just scatter it (the virus) everywhere," said Nobuhiko Okabe, member of a government panel of coronavirus experts, told reporters on Tuesday. "I call on people to endure inconvenience. We should not be hasty about leaving."

Reuters: The hashtag "Escape from Tokyo" was one of the top trending Twitter topics on Tuesday morning, with most commenters urging people in Tokyo and other big cities to stay put.

(This kind of behavior is entirely predictable and understandable. This is also probably a rationale for arguing why any kind of emergency measures restricting movement should not be announced until very close to when they take effect, though efficacy/ethics eminently debatable)