Photo/Illutration Giant panda twin cubs Lei Lei, left, and Xiao Xiao, with their mother Shin Shin at the Ueno Zoological Garden in Tokyo on May 23. They are a big tourist draw in Tokyo. (Provided by the Ueno Zoological Garden)

The Tokyo metropolitan government will resume a program for residents that subsidizes an overnight travel tour within the capital on a trial basis from June 10, citing the declining trajectory of COVID-19 cases.

A subsidy of 5,000 yen ($38.22) per night will be offered for travelers.

Individuals who have received three jabs against COVID-19 or those who tested negative for the novel coronavirus are eligible to receive the subsidy.

An additional subsidy of 1,000 yen will be given to those aged 18 or younger who meet that requirement.

The program will cover a total of 250,000 stays until the end of July.

The start of the trial program was announced June 3 by Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike.

Tokyo authorities greenlit the program after an expert panel advising it on how to handle the pandemic assessed that new cases were on the decline in the capital even after a vigilance period against a rebound in cases came to an end on May 22.

The metropolitan government initially began the subsidy program in October 2020 by setting aside 4.9 billion yen for the initiative.

However, the program was suspended the following month after a surge in infections.

The metropolitan government is expected to decide whether to extend the program beyond July after analyzing how many Tokyoites sign up for the deal and getting input from the public.

Koike said her government will take into account the status of travel subsidy programs offered by the central government when it considers whether to extend the offer.

“New daily cases in Tokyo are still above 2,000,” she said. “We should watch closely how they will go in the coming weeks.”

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