May 15 (NHK) - Japan's western prefecture of Osaka has decided to begin gradually lifting a business suspension request it issued to contain the spread of the coronavirus.
The decision came on Thursday after Osaka fulfilled criteria it set independently for lifting the request.
The prefecture will on Saturday remove the request for universities and other academic institutions, museums, libraries, commercial facilities, theaters and cinemas.
The request will also be lifted for leisure, sporting, and recreational facilities if their total floor space is less than 1,000 square meters. They include pachinko parlors and Internet cafes.
Pubs and restaurants will be asked to close by 10 p.m. and stop offering alcoholic drinks by 9 p.m. This is two hours later than the current request.
The prefecture will maintain the request for hostess bars, live-music venues, gyms, and other types of businesses where cluster infections have been confirmed.
The request will also remain in place for event organizers and operators of event venues, except for rental meeting spaces.
The prefecture will create specific guidelines for business and facility operators to prevent the spread of infections.
The decision to lift the request came after Osaka met three criteria for seven consecutive days.
Under the criteria, there must be less than 10 new untraceable cases a day, the percentage of positive cases among those tested for the virus should be less than 7 percent, and the occupancy rate of hospital beds for patients in serious condition must be under 60 percent.
Osaka plans to prepare another set of conditions for the easing or lifting of the temporary closure request for businesses and facilities that will continue to be covered by it.
It may also consider relaxing the request if the central government lifts the state of emergency in Osaka.
