The Tokyo metropolitan government issued its own warning, called a "Tokyo Alert," for the first time on Tuesday night, recognizing the risk that the coronavirus might spread again. The metropolitan government was urging people to be cautious in entertainment districts around Shinjuku Station, where many new cases have been concentrated. A patrol group organized by the Shinjuku Ward government walked around the Kabukicho entertainment district on Wednesday night. Employees at restaurants, which had just reopened after a state of emergency was lifted, expressed their anxiety.
The same day, Kabukicho was crowded with young adults and other young people talking together in groups without wearing masks.
"I'm worried about the coronavirus, but I come to Shinjuku to have fun," said a part-time employee in her 20s from Saitama City, who came to Shinjuku with her boyfriend.
"I'm not worried about catching the virus [in Shinjuku] since I heard that most people were infected in a hospital," a man said.
"The Tokyo Alert was issued because of the spread of the coronavirus in entertainment districts, so please be careful," said a member of the patrol group, repeating it loudly several times.
The patrol group was organized to warn people to not be swayed by those trying to bring in customers. The group has been on the street urging people to stay home since early April, when the spread of the infection in Japan was confirmed.
Patrol group members continue urging people to refrain from nonessential and nonurgent outings under Shinjuku Ward's own policy, which has set June as a special term for vigilance over COVID-19 after the lifting of the central government's declaration of a state of emergency. However, after seeing the bustling conditions in Kabukicho, one member said, "I want people to remember that preventing yourself from being infected leads to saving others."
Meanwhile, staff and employees of restaurants still felt uneasy in spite of many visitors coming back to the district. "The image of Kabukicho is getting worse due to the Tokyo Alert," the owner of Aoba, a Taiwanese restaurant with a 50-year history, said.
The restaurant has customarily been used by company employees in their 40s to 70s for wining and dining clients. However, customers have not returned since its reopening on May 26. "It seems only young adults have come back to Kabukicho, while business employees, who used to come, don't bother to come," the owner said disappointedly.
The director general of the Shinjuku City Federation of Stores Association said, "Even though we want to cooperate with activities for preventing the spread of the infection, [the reduced] operation of stores is pushing us to the limit."
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
