The government's decision to declare a coronavirus state of emergency for the third time was met with bewilderment by officials of facilities such as zoos and museums that will be asked to suspend operations from Sunday.
Business operators have been scrambling to put measures in place following the government's unexpected decision to issue an emergency just before the Golden Week national holidays.
Large commercial facilities, including department stores, of 1,000 square meters or more, museums, zoos and bowling alleys in Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, and Hyogo prefectures will be subject to temporary closure requests from Sunday for the time being.
Three national museums and five national art galleries in Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto have announced temporary closures from Sunday.
An official at the Tokyo National Museum in Taito Ward, Tokyo said, "We have no other choice but to close the museum. I feel sorry for those who were looking forward to visiting us." The museum has taken such measures as substantially restricting the number of visitors by adopting an advance-reservation system.
Shochiku Co., which operates Kabukiza Theatre and Shinbashi Enbujo Theatre in Tokyo's Chuo Ward, is considering what measures to put place from Sunday for the performances of "April Grand Kabuki" and "Takizawa Kabuki ZERO 2021" that are currently being staged.
Shinagawa Aquarium in Tokyo, decided Saturday morning to temporarily close the facility from Sunday through May 11. The aquarium had received many inquiries from would-be visitors but all officials could say was that measures were "under consideration," as the details of the latest state of emergency had not been released.
"Golden Week is one of the busiest period of the year in terms of visitor numbers. The damage will be severe, but there is no other choice," an aquarium official said.
At Osaka Tennoji Zoo in Osaka on Saturday, a poster at the entrance of the zoo had information about the facility's temporary closure.
A woman who had visited the zoo with her 1-year-old son was unaware of the closure. "It's a place where I can let my child play without having to worry about crowds. We're disappointed," she said.
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