Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on Friday approved stricter measures to stamp out soaring coronavirus cases for Tokyo, Okinawa and Kyoto — effective Monday — as variants pose a fresh threat to a public already frazzled by monthslong restrictions.
The measures authorize prefectural governors to request and order establishments, primarily bars and restaurants, to close by 8 p.m. in designated municipalities, as opposed to the prefecture-wide implementation seen in a state of emergency. They will be in place in all of the capital’s 23 wards and six cities — Musashino, Hachioji, Machida, Chofu, Fuchu and Tachikawa — through May 11, while they will be implemented in the city of Kyoto and nine cities in Okinawa Prefecture — Naha, Nago, Uruma, Okinawa, Ginowan, Urasoe, Tomigusuku, Itoman and Nanjo — until May 5.
"After consulting with experts, we’ve decided to implement the measures in Tokyo, Kyoto and Okinawa considering that the number of new cases is increasing and there is a concern that medical resources would be stretched thin,” Suga told the press Friday evening.
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