Mar 24 (Kyodo) - Tokyo and nearby prefectures decided Wednesday to extend their requests for businesses to shorten operating hours until next month as part of efforts to curb the risk of a rebound of the novel coronavirus in the metropolitan area.
Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike and the governors of Chiba, Kanagawa and Saitama prefectures agreed in an online meeting to continue asking establishments such as restaurants to close by 9 p.m. until April 21, while vowing to work together to stem the resurgence of infections.
They will also keep asking food service operators to stop serving alcohol by 8 p.m.
The Tokyo metropolitan government on Wednesday confirmed 420 new infections, hitting the 400-level for the first time in a week.
The number of daily infections in Tokyo has been slightly trending upward since mid-March, with the rolling seven-day average of new cases persisting high at around 300. The three other prefectures have also seen their daily cases at three-digit figures multiple times in the past week.
Source: ANNnewsCH
