Health experts warned the government about a potential rebound in new novel coronavirus infections in the greater Tokyo metropolitan area, but officials continued pushing forward with formalities to lift the state of emergency.

Some government officials said there was no choice but to lift the state of emergency as scheduled on March 21 for Tokyo and three surrounding prefectures because local residents and businesses were “fatigued” by the crisis and more likely to ignore requests by authorities to take anti-virus precautions.

The government panel of experts dealing with the pandemic gave its consent on March 18 to the proposal to lift the state of emergency on March 21.

At the meeting, Yasutoshi Nishimura, the state minister in charge of economic revitalization who also leads the government’s handling of the pandemic, pointed to the 80-percent reduction in new COVID-19 cases from peak levels in Tokyo.

He also cited improvements in the tight health care situations in Chiba and Saitama prefectures, where hospital bed usage by COVID-19 patients has fallen to under 40 percent of capacity.

In addition, Nishimura laid out measures to prevent a resurgence in new COVID-19 cases, such as the start in the near future of testing for the disease to pick up early signs of a rebound as well as a more detailed study this month of infection routes.

The government task force handling the pandemic formally decided on March 18 to lift the state of emergency.

The end of the state of emergency will allow for the easing of some infection prevention measures. For example, bars and restaurants in the four Tokyo area prefectures will be asked to close operations at 9 p.m., one hour later than the current request.

But experts who attended the March 17 meeting of the health ministry’s advisory panel pointed to disturbing trends in prefectures where the state of emergency had been lifted earlier. They said it may be too early to do the same for the greater Tokyo metropolitan area.

After the meeting, Takaji Wakita, the head of the National Institute of Infectious Diseases who chairs the advisory panel, said some members viewed the increase in new cases in major urban areas as a sign of a rebound.

Another panel member said the current measures were inadequate because the number of new cases had to be further reduced.

Toshio Nakagawa, president of the Japan Medical Association, suggested that concentrated measures to prevent a spread of COVID-19 should be announced for the four Tokyo-area prefectures at the same time as when the state of emergency is lifted.

The revised special measures law to deal with the novel coronavirus pandemic took effect from February to introduce ways to control the spread of infections when a state of emergency was not in place.

The revised law also contained penalties against businesses that do not comply with requests to shorten business hours after a state of emergency is lifted.

Pointing to the situation in Tokyo, Nakagawa said, “There has been a widening of the areas where the danger of a rebound has heightened.”

Some officials said current measures are not being followed as closely because residents and businesses are weary of complying.

“Even if the state of emergency was again extended, the physical and psychological ability of the people to continue with such efforts will disappear,” a high-ranking administration official said. “The economic limit has also been reached in asking bars and restaurants to shorten hours.”

Such noncompliance appeared to be supported by data compiled by Tokyo-based Agoop Corp., a Softbank Group subsidiary that tracks people’s movements through GPS data on their mobile phones.

Foot traffic around 8 p.m. between March 12 and 14 had increased by 35 percent in the Shibuya area in comparison to the weekend that had the lowest number of people out and about after the state of emergency was declared, according to the data.

Similarly, there was a 34-percent increase in the ritzy Ginza district, a 29-percent increase in Yokohama and a 26-percent increase in Shinjuku, the data showed.