Governor of Tokyo, Yuriko Koike, once again asked restaurants serving booze to cut business hours short. (Image via The Straits Times)

Tokyo Government asks booze-serving resto to shorten hours

On Wednesday, the Governor of Tokyo, Yuriko Koike, stated that her government will request restaurants serving booze to shorten their business hours, starting this weekend.

To compensate, Koike confirmed that the government will offer 400,000 yen support to businesses in the capital that comply with the request. On Wednesday, Japan saw more than 1,900 fresh COVID-19 cases, on what so-called "third wave". For three straight days last week, Japan recorded more than 500 new daily COVID-19 infections. It caused the metropolitan government to raise its virus alert to the highest levels, last seen on 10 September.

Previously, the Tokyo Government made a similar request for entertainment venues in Tokyo's 23 wards during August until mid-September. Koike believes that cutting the business hours short will be effective to curb infections, proving that the step managed to decrease the number of people in nightlife districts, hence a decline in new cases.

Koike, on the other hand, does not want Tokyo to be excluded from the Go To domestic travel subsidy program. But, the Tokyo Government will stop the issuance and sale of discount coupons under a separate subsidy program, "Go To Eat", encouraging dining outside.

Japan's economic revitalization and COVID-19 management minister, Yasutoshi Nishimura, stated that the next three weeks will be crucial both to prevent the widespread of COVID-19 and protect Japan's healthcare system blown away by the pandemic. Speaking at a meeting with a panel of experts, Nishimura added that if the pandemic is not alleviated, another state of emergency will be imposed.

The panel also recommended that the Japanese people should not travel to and from the areas with rapid COVID-19 infections. Previously, the Prime Minister (PM) of Japan, Yoshihide Suga, denied that his tourism campaign was at fault for causing the resurgence of COVID-19 case by the greater mobility of the Japanese people. The central government also decided to stop the domestic travel subsidy to Sapporo and Osaka for three weeks to 15 December, following the news of the spike in COVID-19 cases.

Source: https://bit.ly/2V4CRiY