Businesses in the Tokyo metropolitan area said Friday's extension of the coronavirus state of emergency declared for the capital and nearby prefectures was inevitable given the virus situation but fretted over insufficient government aid.
"While I thought re-extension (of the state of emergency) was inevitable, we cannot cover (our losses) with just ¥600,000 in aid," said 50-year-old Junichi Sasaki, who runs a business based in Yokohama that leases wet towels to restaurants, referring to government funding for small and midsize companies that do business with restaurants affected by the emergency measures.
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga announced Friday the emergency would be extended through March 21. The extension comes amid concerns over the availability of hospital beds in some areas and emerging coronavirus variants.