Sapporo and Osaka will be temporarily removed as destinations from the Go To Travel campaign — the government’s ongoing domestic travel promotion program — amid a nationwide surge in new COVID-19 infections, the central government announced Tuesday.

Effective immediately and for three weeks, new reservations in the two cities will not be accepted, officials said. Reservations made before the announcement will be canceled and reimbursed, and the impact on local businesses compensated, by the central government.

“This will have a large impact on travelers and local businesses alike,” said tourism minister Kazuyoshi Akaba. “It was a bitter decision to make.”