The government decided Friday to declare a state of emergency in the four prefectures of Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto and Hyogo to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus.
The state of emergency will be in effect from Sunday until May 11, the period during which the government will request the closure of eateries serving alcohol, karaoke bars and similar establishments, as well as large-scale commercial facilities of 1,000 square meters or more.
A formal decision was made by the government task force on Friday evening. Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga was scheduled to hold a press conference to explain the situation to the public. An expert panel on the basic policy to counter the novel coronavirus on Friday morning concluded the government's plan for the declaration is appropriate.
This will be the third time for the government to declare a state of emergency, following those last April and this January. Restaurants that do not serve alcohol or let customers sing karaoke will be asked to shorten their business hours by closing at 8 p.m.
Sports and other events will be requested to be held without spectators in principle. During the previous state of emergency in January, the number of spectators allowed was reduced. But a "public awareness period" of up to four days was set from the start of that state of emergency, and admission for holders of tickets already sold was allowed as an exception.
Department stores and other commercial facilities will be asked to close, except for those selling daily necessities. The government plans to pay cooperation fees to facilities that comply. Railway operators and other transportation companies will be asked to finish nighttime operations earlier on weekdays and reduce their frequency of service on weekends and holidays.
Local governments will also issue necessary warnings to the public, as people drinking in groups on the streets after restaurants have closed has become a social problem.
"In order to curb the spread of the virus, we really have to curb the flow of people," said Yasutoshi Nishimura, minister in charge of both economic revitalization and coronavirus measures.
Meanwhile, "priority measures" to prevent the spread of the virus will be newly applied to Ehime Prefecture, which will make it possible to take measures similar to those under a state of emergency. Matsuyama, the prefectural capital, will be the subject area, and the period will run from Sunday to May 11.
Gifu Prefecture also plans to ask the central government for the application of priority measures.
In Miyagi and Okinawa prefectures, where priority measures are already in place, the planned expiration date will be extended from May 5 to May 11.
In Saitama, Chiba and Kanagawa prefectures, where priority measures have also already been applied, there are concerns that people from Tokyo will go to restaurants in the three prefectures. The measures will enable the prefectures to ask restaurants to refrain, throughout their business hours, from serving alcohol and letting customers sing karaoke.
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