The Okinawa prefectural government has decided to continue its request for restaurants to stop serving alcoholic beverages and for people to refrain from unnecessary travel across the prefecture or islands after the state of emergency was decided to be extended until Aug. 22.
It was an unexpected decision for the Okinawa government, as it had just asked the central government to ease the current state of emergency to emergency-level priority measures.
Frustration and lament has spread among people in the tourism industry because they are about to lose their most precious season for the second year in a row. Continuing on this course could crush many of these businesses out of existence.
Yoshiro Shimoji, chairman of the Okinawa Convention and Visitors Bureau, and others visited the prefectural government office on Thursday afternoon and demanded that the central government be pressed to withdraw the declaration extension.
"The extension of the emergency may force many hotels to close," said Chokei Taira, chairman of the Okinawa Hotel Association.
Since last year, the number of tourists to Okinawa has plummeted due to the spread of the novel coronavirus. The occupancy rate of hotels is said to be less than 50% in the prefecture.
"We've been enduring the hardship with the sole hope that we will be able to welcome the tourists in perfect condition this summer," Taira said, squeezing out his voice.
The decision has also discouraged restaurant business in Okinawa.
"We had just started purchasing liquor little by little in preparation for the emergency lifting," said a 35-year-old owner of a steak restaurant on Kokusai-dori avenue in Naha. "It's so hard, I can't think about anything right now."
Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki said at a press conference, "I feel that the extension the state of emergency is very tough for us." But he stressed that the emergency could be lifted earlier.
"We'd like to improve the health care system as soon as possible and achieve the goal by the end of July," Tamaki said.
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