Photo/Illutration Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike speaks at a news conference on July 30. (The Asahi Shimbun)

Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike on July 30 called for increased vigilance against the novel coronavirus and hinted that the capital may declare a state of emergency after a record 367 COVID-19 cases were confirmed.

Koike told a news conference that the metropolitan government will ask karaoke parlors and restaurants and where alcohol is served to limit their business hours to between 5 a.m. and 10 p.m. from Aug. 3 to 31.

The metropolitan government will offer 200,000 yen ($1,900) in "cooperation money" to business operators who fully comply with the request.

Koike has so far urged precautions using the phrase "alert over the spread of infections." On July 30, she said the situation calls for "a special alert over the spread of infections."

She added that Tokyo should consider issuing a state of emergency declaration on its own if the situation deteriorates further.

The 367 new COVID-19 cases confirmed on July 30 surpassed the 366  reported on July 23.

The capital reported more than 200 new cases for the third consecutive day.

The daily number of infections in Tokyo is counted based on test results taken about three days prior. If the number of test cases increases, the number of infected patients is more likely to increase.

According to the Tokyo metropolitan government, the highest number of daily tests were conducted on July 27 with 5,818.

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