The coronavirus state of emergency imposed in several of Japan’s prefectures during the Summer Olympic Games was mainly withdrawn on Friday after the country’s infection rate was drastically reduced.
As the Japanese government removed restrictions just in time for the weekend, restaurants, theme parks, and other high-traffic companies braced for a rush. On Tuesday, Japanese officials suggested that the state of emergency will be lifted.
According to the administration, the state of emergency proved effective, as coronavirus infection rates dropped from a high of 25,867 on Aug. 20 to 1,576 on Thursday.
The limitations had a detrimental impact. Minoru Sasaki, president of the liquor distributor Sasaki Co., told the Asahi Shimbun that he lost 20% of his clients due to their permanent closures during the epidemic.
However, the removal of limitations would help those who are still in business, according to Sasaki.
“Everyone is looking forward to getting back to work,” Sasaki added. “They’ve been talking about how they’ll have to die in the interim to lose the weight they’ve acquired. Everyone is optimistic, which is beneficial.”
Despite the lifting of the state of emergency, there are still some limitations in place. Restaurants and bars with a table capacity of four approved for implementing COVID-19 safety procedures will be permitted to sell alcohol until 8 p.m. and stay open until 9 p.m.
They are still unable to provide karaoke. The administration continues to call for prudence while traveling between prefectures and assembling in big crowds, limiting capacity at events to 50%. Alcohol is still prohibited on the street and in parks.
