Govt to keep 50% event attendance cap until February

The government will maintain the 50% cap on attendance at large events such as professional baseball games until the end of February next year.

On Thursday, the government submitted to a subcommittee on countermeasures against the coronavirus its plan to extend the attendance restriction, and it was approved. The government had intended to ease the restriction after December, but it decided to delay the easing considering recent trends in infection cases.

With regard to holding events, the government reported to the subcommittee some verification results about a new infection-prevention technology that was introduced on a trial basis at the Yokohama Stadium in October and November. The government believes the new technology and other measures can produce the same prevention effects as the cap on attendance. The government will further discuss easing the restriction in the future.

The subcommittee also agreed to allow people to remove their masks to eat food such as popcorn at movie theaters only while showing, when conversations are not supposed to take place in any case. Since many people are expected to visit shrines during the New Year holidays, the government will ask people to avoid the crowds and not to eat and drink on the premises of shrines.

Meanwhile, for concerts and other events where the audience would normally shout and cheer, the government was considering excluding such events from the attendance restriction if there was a prohibition on yelling. However, the government set aside the plan and will keep the 50% attendance cap on such events as well.

Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/