Emergency declaration lifted in Tokyo and three prefectures, but "Go To Travel" suspended for the time being.

The state of emergency declared for the Tokyo metropolitan area will be lifted on the 21st of this month, but the government has decided to continue to suspend the operation of Go To Travel nationwide for the time being.

The Go To Travel program, which offers discounts on travel, has been suspended uniformly nationwide since the end of last year.

The government will continue to suspend Go To Travel for the time being, even after the emergency declaration for the Tokyo metropolitan area and three prefectures is lifted on the 21st of this month, in order to prevent the reemergence of the infection.

On the other hand, according to the Japan Tourism Agency, as of the 17th, about 20 prefectures are taking their own measures to stimulate demand for tourism, such as offering discounts on travel prices to residents of their respective prefectures.

Some of these prefectures have also called for the resumption of Go To Travel in limited areas.

For this reason, the government is considering reopening the Go To Travel program on a prefecture-by-prefecture basis, limiting it to travel that does not cross prefectural borders, and expanding the scope of the program in stages.

The government is also considering expanding support measures, such as subsidizing the costs for lodging facilities and travel agencies to strengthen their countermeasures against infectious diseases.

However, some in the government are calling for a reduction in the maximum subsidy amount of 20,000 yen per night, and the government is carefully considering the design of the system for reopening.

Source: https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20210319/k10012922951000.html?utm_int=news-new_contents_list-items_021