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| Bar and restaurant workers take down doorway dividers from their storefronts in the Umeda district of Osaka on Friday. (Photo by=Bloomberg) |
[Asia News Communication = Reporter Reakkana] On Friday Tokyo owners of restaurants and bars, including the prefectures of Kyoto and Okinawa, expressed worries after they were added by the government to the list of areas subject to stricter anti-virus measures, Kyodo reported.
Amid a sharp rebound in infections, the governors of Tokyo and the two prefectures were granted the authority to order establishments serving food and alcohol in targeted areas to close by 8 p.m. and impose a fine of up to 200,000 yen ($1,800) for noncompliance. Closing hours of such establishments in Tokyo were just extended by one hour with the lifting of the second state of emergency at midnight on March 21.
A 32-year-old manager of another izakaya pub criticized the central and local government's handling of the pandemic, saying it seems they are just reacting to situations without a clear vision. "I want (the governments) to take drastic measures," he said. Similar opinions were heard at restaurants and bars in Kyoto. "We were pinning our hope on the Golden Week holidays (from late April)," said Yoshiko Murata, a 77-year-old female manager of an izakaya in Kyoto. In Okinawa, April to May is a traditional season for people to pay respect to their ancestors.
