Tokyo to request restaurants to close by 10 p.m. after setting another infection record
Tokyo saw a record 367 new infections with the novel coronavirus Thursday. The Tokyo metropolitan government is planning to request eating and drinking establishments and karaoke places to close by 10 p.m. from Monday through the end of August because group dining has become a major transmission route for infections.
The capital’s previous single-day record was 366 on July 23. The cumulative total stands at 12,228.
The metropolitan government is planning to compensate the establishments that comply with the closure request with about ¥200,000 in “cooperation money.”
Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike made the request in a press conference Thursday, based on the revised Law Concerning Special Measures against Pandemic Influenza and New Infectious Diseases Preparedness and Response. The scope of the request is not limited to wining-and-dining entertainment establishments in nightlife districts but extends to all eating and drinking establishments.
From April 11, immediately after the central government declared a state of emergency, the metropolitan government asked companies in a wide range of industries to suspend their businesses. It requested restaurants to shorten hours at night and offered a subsidy of up to ¥1 million. The metropolitan government has gradually eased its request since May 25, when the state of emergency was lifted.