By KEISHI NISHIMURA/ Staff Writer
November 13, 2021 at 14:45 JST
Customers at this Osaka restaurant sit in terrace seats following the lifting of the COVID-19 state of emergency. (Taku Hosokawa)
The government is set to allow bars and restaurants to freely serve alcohol even in areas that come under a new COVID-19 state of emergency as long as establishments have sufficient precautions in place to guard against infections.
Relaxed measures will apply to businesses certified by local authorities as having taken adequate steps to keep their patrons safe and customers can prove they have received their COVID-19 jabs or tested negative for the disease.
Officials said the steps will be formally approved after a panel of experts advising the government on the health crisis meets Nov. 19 and gives the green light.
The new measures being weighed amid fears of a sixth wave of the novel coronavirus hitting this winter will take effect this month at the earliest, even though no state of emergency is in place. Bars and restaurants currently face no restrictions on their operating hours or serving alcohol other than that groups of five or more customers are not permitted.
But that restriction will also go out the window as long as large parties of people can all show they have been vaccinated or tested negative.
Even if a state of emergency or pre-emergency measures are declared in the future, bars and restaurants will be allowed to operate until 9 p.m. and serve alcohol as long as they have received certification from the local government.
Under prior states of emergency, establishments were asked to remain closed, not serve alcohol or greatly shorten their business hours. Subsidies were provided to help offset their financial losses.
The relaxed steps will also cover large events with audiences of 5,000 or more. As long as event organizers submit an infection-prevention plan in advance, no cap will be placed on how many people can enter a venue.
Even if a state of emergency or pre-emergency measures are implemented, event organizers will not be asked to shorten their times of operation and will be allowed to fill their venues to capacity as long as those entering show they have been vaccinated or tested negative.
Venues with capacities of under 5,000 or organizers who do not submit infection-prevention plans will still be allowed to hold events as long as participants follow strict protocols of not cheering or shouting. This is to prevent the spread of droplets that could infect others.
In addition, there will be no restrictions on travel across prefectural borders even during a state of emergency as long as people can show they have been vaccinated or tested negative.
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