The Tokyo Metropolitan Government lowered its coronavirus alert status Thursday and Gov. Yuriko Koike also announced that voluntary measures that discourage dining out, public events and travel outside the capital would be loosened.
The governor’s announcements represent the capital’s latest efforts to reopen the city amid the ongoing pandemic by relaxing coronavirus countermeasures that promote safety but stifle revenue, including travel guidelines that are choking the domestic tourism industry.
“New cases may have hit a lull but we must expect — and are prepared for — another surge,” Koike said during a meeting Thursday of the metropolitan government’s coronavirus task force.