The prefectures of Tokyo, Saitama, Chiba, Kanagawa and Osaka eased COVID-19 restrictions for eateries on Monday, as novel coronavirus cases continue to fall.
With the exception of Okinawa Prefecture, where restrictions will remain until the end of this month, restaurants and bars across the country are operating without restrictions on their hours of operation and with eased restrictions on alcohol sales.
In Tokyo, requests to shorten opening hours had been in effect since November last year.
Of the about 120,000 eateries in the capital, restrictions have been eased at about 100,000 that have received certification confirming they have sufficient coronavirus measures in place.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government wants eateries to confirm proof of vaccination or negative tests for groups of five or more diners, and wants establishments to restrict groups to no more than four people per table for diners without proof.
About 20,000 non-certified eateries have been asked to stop serving alcohol by 9:00 p.m., but there will be no restriction on their opening hours.
Restrictions for non-certified eateries are not based on the coronavirus-related special measures law and are not legally binding. Businesses that comply with the restrictions will not be entitled to financial support.
Opening hour restrictions were also lifted for department stores and movie theaters on Monday.
In Osaka prefecture, certified restaurants can serve large groups as long as there are no more than four diners per table, while non-certified restaurants are being asked to serve groups of no more than four diners.
Measures to boost business at eateries are being launched in conjunction with the easing of restrictions.
On Nov. 4, Saitama Prefecture plans to resume the sale of vouchers under the Saitama Go To Eat campaign. While Chiba Prefecture has already resumed sales of Go To Eat meal vouchers, which can be used at certified eateries where COVID-19 measures have been confirmed. Vouchers worth 12,500 yen can be purchased for 10,000 yen via the LINE messaging app.
Kanagawa Prefecture has launched a program under which diners who use a special app to pay for their meal can earn points worth up to 20% of the cost of their bill depending on the size of the participating restaurants.
On the Kanagawa Pay app, each point earned is worth 1, yen and users will be able use the points until February.
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