Tokyo to extend request for bars to shorten hours to Sept. 15

TOKYO, Aug. 27 Kyodo - Tokyo will extend until Sept. 15 its request for establishments serving alcohol and karaoke venues in the heart of the capital to shorten business hours as part of efforts to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus, Gov. Yuriko Koike said Thursday. The request for such businesses to close by 10 p.m. was initially scheduled to be lifted at the end of August, but the metropolitan government has decided to extend it for establishments in Tokyo's 23 wards, where many cases of infection are found. The local government is considering providing 150,000 yen ($1,400) to business operators that comply with the extension request. The request for shorter hours from Aug. 3, under which business operators were eligible to receive 200,000 yen, will end outside the 23 wards on Monday, as scheduled. "The number of new infection cases has been on a declining trend but still remains at a high level...and we still need to be on alert," Koike said at a press conference. Tokyo has been hit by a resurgence of infections since July, with the daily number of new cases reaching a record 472 on Aug. 1. Many infections have occurred at nightlife establishments or while people dine out. On Thursday, the metropolitan government confirmed 250 new cases of coronavirus infection, bringing the capital's accumulated total to 20,096. "The number of (coronavirus) patients with severe symptoms is on a rising trend," Koike said, adding medical institutions in the capital have been put under stress. As of Wednesday, the number of coronavirus patients with severe symptoms stood at 31, with 16 of them in their 70s or older, according to data released by the metropolitan government. Tokyo has seen the highest daily number of coronavirus cases in Japan, which saw 862 new cases Thursday. The capital is maintaining its alert at the highest of four levels, meaning "infections are spreading." While it took more than six months since the start of the pandemic for the number of new cases to reach 10,000 on July 23, the city saw another 10,000 new cases in less than a month, raising concern that virus transmission may have become more rapid. Businesses in Tokyo have already been hit hard. A bar in the Ginza district said its August profit had shrunk to less than a quarter of the year before. "But in order to end the pandemic as quickly as possible, it cannot be helped," said Takeshi Nakamura, its 41-year-old bartender. The restriction will be lifted for establishments outside the 23 wards from Sept. 1 as previously planned. "We are thankful that we can increase our hours of business, as our sales had dropped by 40 percent," said Toshinori Yoneyama, 45, who manages his Japanese-style drinking establishment in the outskirts of Tokyo. "But many people are still refraining from eating out so I don't know if customers will return even after (the restriction) is lifted," said Yoneyama, who plans to open his establishment in Tachikawa until midnight from September. ==Kyodo