Amid the fight against the novel coronavirus pandemic, the relaxation of limits on the scale of events has cleared a bureaucratic step.
The easing is expected to take place Friday as scheduled, having been approved Monday at the first meeting of a subcommittee of the government's expert panel on countermeasures against novel influenza and other diseases. The subcommittee, newly established under the council, met in Tokyo.
As a result, restrictions such as limits on the numbers of people admitted to events, including professional sports matches, will be eased.
The government presented a policy that attendance at such events should be capped at the smaller of 5,000 people or 50% of the venue's capacity, starting on Friday.
Though the daily number of newly confirmed coronavirus infections in Tokyo exceeded 100 for several days in a row recently, the subcommittee did not present any objections to the government's relaxing policy.
Members of the subcommittee voiced such opinions as "People who had contact with infected individuals can be found at an early stage," and "It's important to protect the livelihoods of working people."
Along with the relaxation of the restrictions, the government will request event organizers to take such measures as making lists of audience members' names, and asking participants to wear masks and disinfect their hands.
At the subcommittee's first meeting, its members also presented opinions about compiling a strategy for expanding testing systems and taking measures for preventing heatstroke.
The subcommittee also decided to make public summaries of its discussions, in which names of speakers are clearly indicated.
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