THURSDAY, March 28, 2024
nationthailand

Tokyo empty 1st weekend under state of emergency

Tokyo empty 1st weekend under state of emergency

TOKYO -- The area around JR Tokyo Station - the gateway to Japan's capital - was deserted Saturday morning, on the first weekend after a state of emergency was declared following the widespread outbreak of the new coronavirus.

A wide range of businesses were asked to close under a government measure, creating an extremely unusual start to the weekend.

However, joggers in protective masks were still spotted around the Imperial Palace. A female company employee, 58, said she came to the area to run because "I have to keep jogging to stay healthy."

"But I keep enough space of 5 to 10 meters from other joggers and hold my breath for a while when I pass them," she said.

Very few people were seen at 9 a.m. on Saturday at the plaza in front of Tokyo Station, which is usually crowded with people taking photographs of the retro station or waiting to meet people. Inside, the station was also quiet and few people were seen carrying suitcases to board the Shinkansen. No one was seen lining up in front of the JR ticket offices that are normally crowded with travelers. The screens above ticketing machines showed rows of green circles indicating "seats available."

"The train was almost empty inside," a 79-year-old man from Zama, Kanagawa Prefecture, said. "The space created personal distance, and it actually wasn't bad, being different from usual."

The station's Yaesu Exit is a departure point for expressway buses heading to Narita Airport and other places. Many bus services are being viewed warily because of the virus, and only five or six buses were seen parked there. There were almost no lines waiting for buses, and drivers looked to be at a loose end. Shops and restaurants in the Yaesu Exit underground shopping arcade have all been shuttered, save for a few, instead displaying signs reading, "We are temporarily closed."

Saturday was also the first day after the Tokyo metropolitan government asked businesses to close or to shorten their hours, and many shops were shuttered in downtown areas in Tokyo.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Saturday called on all citizens nationwide to refrain from visiting restaurants and other places that serve customers, such as cabarets and nightclubs, as a preventive measure against the spread of the new coronavirus, at a meeting of the government task force at the Prime Minister's Office.

The move is designed to completely prevent clusters of infections from erupting in nightlife spots.

The request will be added to the basic policy for combating the COVID-19 outbreak. The policy defines measures that are called for on the part of local governments to fight the disease.

RELATED
nationthailand