By YUSUKE NAGANO/ Staff Writer
June 11, 2020 at 18:43 JST
The Rainbow Bridge is lit up in red, indicating the Tokyo metropolitan government has issued an alert to local residents to be cautious about a further spread of COVID-19 infections. (Kotaro Ebara)
The Tokyo metropolitan government is moving toward lifting its coronavirus alert, as well as relaxing requests for businesses to remain closed to prevent further COVID-19 infections.
A panel of experts is expected to meet the evening of June 11 to discuss the latest details, including the 22 new COVID-19 cases confirmed the same day.
That figure exceeds the benchmark of 20 that the metropolitan government set as criteria to lift the alert. But until June 10, the daily tally had fallen under 20 for four consecutive days, resulting in a low average.
That led officials to consider withdrawing the alert meant to urge residents to keep their guard up against a potential resurgence of COVID-19 infections.
After the state of emergency was lifted for the capital on May 25, the metropolitan government outlined a three-stage plan for gradually relaxing its various business-closure requests.
Sources said the metropolitan government is considering moving to the final stage as it decides to withdraw the alert.
If the metropolitan government moves to step three, pachinko and karaoke parlors, amusement parks and video game centers could reopen. Restaurants, including those serving alcohol, could push back closing times from the current 10 p.m. to midnight.
“After conducting an analysis, including the experts’ views about our medical care structure, we will make a comprehensive judgment, including regarding the guidelines for the business sectors that would be affected in step three,” Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike told reporters in the morning on June 11.
As of June 10, two of the government’s three benchmarks for lifting the alert had been cleared: having a daily average of fewer than 20 new COVID-19 infections over the past week; and that under half would have untraceable infection routes.
The actual figures for the past week were 18.7 and 48.9 percent, respectively.
The final benchmark is a one-fold increase of new cases over the past week. It failed to clear that, reaching a 1.14-fold increase in cases.
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