Japan's restaurants, bars welcome back drinkers as COVID-19 controls ease
01/10/2021 09:12
* COVID cases at lowest in Tokyo since March
* Bar owners, brewers welcome lifting of restrictions
* Health officials fear another rise in infections
* Some informal restrictions remain on bars, restaurants
By Rocky Swift
TOKYO, Oct 1 (Reuters) - Typhoon winds and rain dampened
what might have been a more celebratory mood in Tokyo on Friday,
as restaurants were allowed to sell alcohol and stay open later
following the lifting of the latest COVID-19 state of emergency.
Japan is cautiously easing restrictions that have prevailed
across much of the nation for almost six months. New COVID cases
in Tokyo totalled 200 on Friday, a sharp drop from more than
5,000 a day in August amid a fifth wave driven by the infectious
Delta variant that brought the medical system to the brink.
The restrictions https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/pandemic-fatigue-complicates-japans-covid-fight-risks-recovery-delay-2021-08-18,
intended to blunt infections by reducing mobility and
interaction, have been particularly tough on the service sector.
Minoru Sasaki, president of a liquor wholesaler company
Sasaki Co., said about 20% of his customers have had to close
their doors during the pandemic, and he was relieved that people
could now drink again in restaurants.
"I'm really happy!" Sasaki said about the easing. "The
employees are looking forward to getting back to business. Up to
now, they've been talking about how they'll have to diet to shed
the weight they've gained in the meantime. Everyone is thinking
positively, which is a big help."
Businesses large and small prepared to welcome in drinkers
from Friday, even as the rain fell in sheets.
BEER ORDERS JUMP
Suntory Holdings Ltd said orders for beer kegs and bottles
were up 230% in the run-up to Friday, compared to the previous
week. Beer halls run by Kirin Holdings Co 2503.T and Sapporo
Holdings Ltd 2501.T reopened with heightened infection
controls, such as plastic partitions, air quality meters and
limits on the number of people per party.
But even as cases subside and the number of Japanese fully
vaccinated reaches 60% of the population - above the level in
the United States - public health experts are concerned about a
possible rebound this winter that could send the country back
into yet another emergency situation.
"After such a long state of emergency, from today there will
be a lot of people wanting to go out, and that could lead to a
quicker rebound," said Koji Wada, professor of public health at
the International University of Health and Welfare in Tokyo.
"These rebounds tend to happen within about three weeks when
there are no vaccines, so a key point will be to see how we do
beyond that time now that vaccination has progressed, and also
to be wary of a possible worsening of the situation around
November," he added.
Even from today, some voluntary restrictions will remain in
place.
Restaurants and bars can only serve alcohol until 8 p.m. and
are asked to close at 9 p.m. The government has said such
restrictions may be lifted further with the implementation of a
system to check vaccination or COVID-19 testing status, but
details on the plan remain sketchy.
Throughout the pandemic, Japan has eschewed the kind of
harsh lockdowns on commerce and travel imposed in Europe and the
United States, relying mostly on strong requests and social
pressure to gain compliance from the public.
But not everyone plays along. Global-Dining Inc 7625.T ,
which runs 43 restaurants including one that inspired the movie
"Kill Bill: Volume I", has sued the Tokyo government https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/japan-kill-bill-restaurant-operator-shocked-by-pressure-eateries-over-covid-19-2021-07-09
for trying to impose curbs on its operating hours and sales of
alcohol.
"I don't think we would do anything special," Chief
Executive Kozo Hasegawa said about the restriction easing.
"We have been operating our restaurants as usual except for
ones in shopping malls."
(Reporting by Rocky Swift, Issei Kato, Irene Wang
Editing by Gareth Jones)
((rocky.swift@thomsonreuters.com))