Tokyo Alert: Calls for Vigilance as COVID-19 Cases Rise in the Capital

On June 2, Tokyo issued a new warning over the spread of COVID-19 as it reported 34 new cases. The Tokyo Alert came the day after the metropolis moved to the second of its three-stage roadmap for reopening the economy, relaxing suspension requests for a range of businesses, including restaurants, bars, and commercial facilities.

Tokyo applies seven benchmarks for making decisions on relaxing business suspensions. Taking into account issues for the healthcare system, such as the number of hospital beds, the metropolis considers announcing an alert if in the course of a week the average number of new daily cases rises above 20 or the ratio of unknown infection routes is 50% or greater, or if the number of cases in a week rises above that for the previous seven days.

On June 2, the average number of new daily cases over the past week was 16.3—remaining below the benchmark—but the ratio of unknown infection routes was 50% and the total for the past week was 2.15 times that for the previous week.

While the alert does not mean business suspension requests will be reimposed, Governor Koike Yuriko said that to prevent the spread of infections, residents should be particularly cautious about going to high-risk nightlife areas. She also called for employees to work from home or stagger commuting times.

Tokyo Benchmarks for Relaxing Business Suspension Requests

(Originally published in Japanese. Banner photo: Tokyo’s Rainbow Bridge is lit up in red to convey the Tokyo Alert. © Jiji.)