Photo/Illutration Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike participates in a video conference with her counterparts from the three neighboring prefectures on Jan. 7. (Shin Kasahara)

The Tokyo metropolitan government on Jan. 7 approved tougher guidelines for bars, restaurants and events following a dramatic surge in new COVID-19 cases.

The precautionary steps take effect from Jan. 11 until the end of the month.

But as they do not fall under provisions of the special measures law to deal with the novel coronavirus pandemic, the requests are not legally binding, nor are there penalties for establishments that choose to ignore them.

One new measure will limit the size of groups gathering at bars and restaurants from eight or fewer to four or fewer at establishments certified by the metropolitan government as having taken appropriate infection-prevention steps.

For groups of five or more, the metropolitan government is calling on those individuals to utilize a vaccination certification app developed by the metropolitan government.

Tokyo authorities relaxed its group size guideline from four to eight from Dec. 1, but switched to tighter restrictions following a spike in COVID-19 cases that emerged in the aftermath of the New Year holiday period when more people were out and about.

Questions were raised about whether the measure for groups of five or more will prove effective as only about 380,000 Tokyoites have registered with the metropolitan government’s app.

Although Tokyo reported 922 new COVID-19 cases on Jan. 7, the hospital bed usage ratio for patients remained at 8 percent.

That led metropolitan authorities to forego submitting a request with the central government to allow it to implement pre-emergency curbs to include even tougher measures, such as asking bars and restaurants to shorten business hours or not serve alcohol.

Unsurprisingly, restaurant owners already reeling from the impact of nearly two years of restrictions on business activities, were bitterly disappointed that new stricter restrictions are in the offing.

“While I expected the next wave of higher infections to come sometime in the future, it is still disappointing,” said Takeyoshi Sonezaki, 49, who owns the Baden Baden German beer restaurant in the capital’s Yurakucho district.

The restaurant closed its doors last summer when a COVID-19 state of emergency was declared.

It resumed operations from late October, staying open until 11 p.m.

Sonezaki expressed concern that the public attitudes about eating out may revert to the situation that prevailed last summer when widespread closures in the industry resulted.

The metropolitan government also announced that the planned debut at Ueno Zoo of giant panda twins Lei Lei and her twin brother Xiao Xiao will only run for three days from Jan. 12.

Only the 3,000 or so lucky individuals whose names were pulled in the lottery for the viewings will be allowed to observe the animals.

Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike and her counterparts in the three neighboring prefectures of Kanagawa, Saitama and Chiba also called on residents Jan. 7 to remain vigilant over the three-day weekend that began Jan. 8 and ends with Coming-of-Age Day on Jan. 10.

They asked residents to avoid locations and times when large numbers of people could be expected to gather, as well as to only wine and dine in small groups and for short periods, not to speak loudly and wear face masks.

(Taichi Kobayashi and Keita Yamaguchi contributed to this article.)

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