Tokyo gov. asks capital's restaurants, pubs to shut by 8 p.m.

TOKYO, April 10 Kyodo - Restaurants and Japanese-style "izakaya" pubs in Tokyo will be requested to shut by 8 p.m. each day as part of emergency measures to curb the spread of the pneumonia-causing novel coronavirus, the capital's governor said Friday. Yuriko Koike told a press conference that restaurants could open from 5 a.m. but alcohol should stop being served by 7 p.m., adding the measures will take effect midnight Friday. Barbers and hardware shops will be unaffected, as sought by the central government, and shops selling daily necessities will also not be requested to suspend operation. The central and Tokyo metropolitan governments had been at odds over which types of businesses should be targeted for special measures and when they should take effect, after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe declared a state of emergency for seven prefectures on Tuesday. Koike said they had reached an agreement after the central government dropped its plan to wait about two weeks before requesting businesses to suspend operation. Both sides "shared the sense of crisis," she said. "The situation of (virus) infections in Tokyo is very urgent," said Koike, adding her administration had given "top priority to protecting the lives of Tokyo residents" in compiling the measures. Among prefectures surrounding Tokyo, Kanagawa will also request similar business suspensions, effective from Saturday, while Chiba said it will not make such requests. Osaka Prefecture in western Japan will make its decision by Monday, according to officials. In Tokyo, universities, cinemas, live music venues, nightclubs, pachinko parlors and internet cafes will be asked to suspend operations. Schools, day-care centers and welfare services will be requested to halt activities depending on circumstances. A third group comprising medical institutions, financial services, supermarkets, convenience stores, hotels and public transport providers can continue operations as long as they take countermeasures against the virus. The metropolitan government will also offer subsidies to smaller business operators that accept its suspension requests -- 500,000 yen ($4,600) for managers with a single shop and 1 million yen for those running multiple outlets. Tokyo has seen a surging number of infections recently, recording its biggest daily increase of 181 on Thursday, which brought the total in the capital to more than 1,500 cases, the worst among the nation's 47 prefectures. ==Kyodo