Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike and Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga agreed Tuesday that people aged 65 or older and those who have existing health issues will be asked to refrain from traveling to and from Tokyo, at a meeting at the Prime Minister's Office about the government-sponsored Go To Travel tourism promotion campaign.
In response to the resurgence of infections of the novel coronavirus, the period for the request is scheduled to last until Dec. 17.
"The central and Tokyo metropolitan governments reached the agreement in light of taking measures to curb the number of patients with serious symptoms," Koike said after the meeting at the metropolitan government building.
Suga told reporters at the Prime Minister's Office, "The national government and the Tokyo metropolitan government confirmed that we would firmly work together, doing whatever it takes to prevent the further spread of infections."
According to the Tokyo metropolitan government, the starting date for the period of requested self-restraint on travel will be set once the central government decides on the details of cancellation procedures for travel reservations. As for the ending date, Dec. 17 is being considered because it would match the ending date for an existing request to Tokyo restaurants and bars to shorten their business hours.
Travel to destinations in Sapporo and Osaka has been temporarily excluded from the Go To Travel program after Hokkaido Gov. Naomichi Suzuki and Osaka Gov. Hirofumi Yoshimura requested the government to take the step as infections were spreading in the two cities. The government also is urging people to refrain from taking trips departing from the two cities.
Koike has insisted that a decision on whether to temporarily exclude Tokyo from the program should be made by the central government, saying that it is not just about Tokyo and that a broader perspective looking at the whole country was necessary.
After Tuesday's meeting, Koike said: "It's still a government-sponsored program. The central government will make the final decision."
Revealing that she had asked the government to either request or require that elderly people and those with existing health problems not use the program, she said, "We took various matters into consideration and came to the decision to ask for self-restraint."
Infections are spreading again rapidly in Tokyo, with 570 new cases, the highest daily figure on record, confirmed on Friday. Those who have become seriously ill numbered about 30 in early November, but the number increased to 70 on Monday, the highest since the state of emergency was lifted in May. As a result, almost half of the 150 hospital beds secured for seriously ill patients have been occupied.
The Tokyo metropolitan government initially considered asking the government to temporarily exclude from the Go To Travel campaign all travel to and from Tokyo, but eventually limited it to a request for self-restraint, especially for those who have a higher risk of becoming seriously ill.
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
