A voluntary request to have food establishments in the capital’s central 23 wards operate under reduced business hours will be extended into next month, Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike announced Thursday.

Restaurants and eateries in Tokyo, including those that serve alcohol, had been asked to close at 10 p.m. to reduce the risk of further coronavirus infections from Aug. 3. Those located within the capital’s 23 wards have been asked to continue limiting business hours until Sept. 15. Those that comply will receive a cash handout of ¥150,000.

Food establishments located outside of the 23 wards will be exempted from the request from Monday.

“At this stage, it’s too early to lift restrictive measures,” Koike said during a meeting of the metropolitan government’s coronavirus task force Thursday. “The number of new cases is declining but the rate of decline, and the increasing number of severe cases, is concerning.”

Tokyo officials said new cases are declining in the capital but untraceable infections are still concerning, and sustained caution is necessary to maintain that trend and protect the city’s health care system.

Tokyo reported 250 additional cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, bringing the capital’s total past 20,000 infections.

But the second wave of COVID-19 appears to be winding down.

Source: ANNnewsCH