On Thursday, the Japanese government formally announced that the current state of emergency covering Tokyo, Osaka, Hokkaido, Aichi, Kyoto, Hyogo, Fukuoka, Okayama and Hiroshima will end as planned on June 20.
According to Kyodo News, seven prefectures including Tokyo will switch to quasi-emergency status until July 11, while Okayama and Hiroshima – where case numbers have sufficiently improved – will be freed from emergency measures altogether.
On the other hand, Okinawa will stay under a full state of emergency until July 11, as hospitals there remain strained.
Under quasi-emergency rules, bars and restaurants will still be asked to close by 8pm. However, they will be allowed to serve alcohol again until 7pm as long as precautions to limit the spread of Covid-19 are followed. Moreover, individual prefectural governors can choose to maintain the ban on selling alcohol if they consider it necessary.
Attendance at major events, including sports and concerts, will be capped at 10,000 people, even in prefectures where the emergency has been lifted.
Coronavirus cases are declining nationwide while vaccinations continue to climb, but there are still concerns about a possible surge of infections in the run-up to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, set to begin on July 23. As a result, Kyodo News reports that the Japanese government is considering applying the 10,000-person spectator cap to Olympic Games events as well as a Covid-19 precaution.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
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