Japan‘s national vaccination drive has lagged, and most people in the capital still have not been inoculated as infections have surged.
The raised status announced by Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga will allow Tokyo’s governor to mandate shorter opening hours for bars and restaurants, along with punishments for violators and compensation for those who comply. The measures are to begin Monday and continue through May 11.
Experts say many of Tokyo’s cases have been linked to nightlife and dining, though they have recently spread to offices, elderly care facilities, and schools.
Suga also raised the alert level for Kyoto in western Japan and the southern island prefecture of Okinawa, where cases have surged in recent weeks. To discourage travel, the new status will continue through May 5, the end of Japan‘s “Golden Week” holidays.
“We will do everything to contain infections within the affected areas and prevent them from spreading across the country,” Suga told reporters. Under the measures, people are urged to avoid nonessential travel outside their cities. Health officials will patrol bars and restaurants to ensure safety measures are observed, and testing will be increased at elderly care facilities, Suga said.
On Monday, the alert status was raised for three other areas – Osaka, neighboring Hyogo, and Miyagi in the north. Since early March, they have had sharp increases in daily cases, soon after Japan scaled down a partial and non-binding state of emergency that began in January.
The steps come less than three weeks after the emergency was lifted for Tokyo, underscoring the difficulty of balancing anti-virus measures and the economy. Suga’s government has been criticized for being too slow in enacting anti-virus measures out of a reluctance to damage the pandemic-hit economy further.
Osaka has declared a medical emergency after its hospitals became overwhelmed with new cases and has moved next week’s Olympic torch relay there off public roads.
Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike, who asked Suga’s government to boost the capital’s alert level, said she is alarmed by the recent rise in virus cases and the possible impact of new variants. She urged residents to avoid unnecessary trips and practice social distancing. Koike is expected to order bars and restaurants to close at 8 p.m.
Just over 1 million people in Japan, or less than 1% of the population, have received the first of two vaccine doses. The surge in cases may cause further cancellations of Olympic-related events.
Inoculations started in mid-February for medical workers. Older adults are scheduled to get their shots starting next week through late June. The rest of the population will likely have to wait until about July, making it almost impossible for Japan to reach herd immunity before the Tokyo Olympics begin on July 23.
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