Bars, karaoke lounges and restaurants serving alcohol in parts of the city of Osaka began operating under shorter hours Friday, a day after the prefecture saw a record daily total of 12 deaths due to COVID-19.
Osaka Prefecture recorded 383 new cases of the disease Friday. A day earlier it reported 326 cases with infection routes unknown for 206 people, and 12 deaths bringing the number of novel coronavirus fatalities in the prefecture to 297. There were 108 serious COVID-19 cases receiving care.
For the third time since the outbreak began earlier this year, Osaka Gov. Hirofumi Yoshimura called on businesses serving food and drinks to reduce their operating hours, in an attempt to control the spread of the virus.