Last day of the state of emergency in Tokyo and the three adjacent prefectures, with
the executive which, however, does not intend to let its guard down to prevent a new rise in coronavirus cases. Infections in the capital remain stable at the moment and the metropolitan government, coinciding with the start of Hanami – the spring period of cherry blossom – has asked
residents not to carry out traditional picnics under the trees to avoid dangerous gatherings.
In Ueno Park, for example, northeast of Tokyo, barriers have been erected around major flowering plants, and people are not allowed to sit on benches to consume drinks and food for too long. Municipalities will be prohibited from lighting parks during hours
night, where admirers of the tradition that according to historians go on in Japan from the Nara period, to the beginning of the 18th century, usually gather.
The state of emergency in Tokyo took effect earlier this year, and subsequently in the surrounding prefectures of Chiba, Kanagawa and Saitama. The authorities will maintain the request to bars and restaurants to bring forward the closing time at night, and companies will have to incentivize the work of employees from home. In the metropolis, 256 cases were reported on Sunday, which brings the total positivity since the beginning of the pandemic to 117,515
.