The government is set to decide Thursday to end the COVID-19 state of emergency covering Tokyo, Hokkaido, Osaka and six other prefectures Sunday, while keeping Okinawa under the measure for three more weeks.
The move comes as coronavirus cases decline nationwide and vaccinations ramp up, though there are fears of a resurgence in infections leading into the Tokyo Olympics, slated to begin July 23.
The six other prefectures set to exit the state of emergency are Aichi, Kyoto, Hyogo, Okayama, Hiroshima and Fukuoka.
All including Tokyo will shift to a quasi-state of emergency until July 11 with the exception of Okayama and Hiroshima, where the situations have improved enough to no longer need the designation.
Under a quasi-state of emergency, serving alcohol, currently banned, will be allowed until 7 p.m., while restaurants will continue to be asked to close by 8 p.m.
Okinawa will remain under the current state of emergency until July 11 as its hospitals remain strained by COVID-19 patients.
After getting the backing of an expert panel, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga is set to finalize the decision at a task force meeting and then hold a news conference in the evening.
“While it’s true that infections are trending down nationwide, it’s also true that the pace has slowed,” Suga told reporters Wednesday after discussing the plan with members of his Cabinet, including health minister Norihisa Tamura and Yasutoshi Nishimura, the minister in charge of the coronavirus response.
“We will continue to move forward with vaccinations and take steps to prevent infections from spreading,” he said.
Among the five prefectures currently under a quasi-emergency, Chiba, Kanagawa and Saitama will get an extension until July 11, while Gifu and Mie will exit at the end of the weekend.
Tokyo has been under a state of emergency since April 25, the third since the start of the pandemic last year. The measure had initially been slated to be lifted after the Golden Week holidays on May 11, but it was extended twice as the pace of decline in infections remained tepid.
A nationwide total of 1,710 new coronavirus cases were reported Wednesday, down from more than 7,000 daily at the peak of the fourth wave in early to mid-May, with 80 deaths. The capital was down to more than half its peak with 501 new infections. But it was the first time since June 3 that a daily figure has topped 500.
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