Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called on citizens to refrain from visiting nightlife entertainment venues as the country sees increasing spikes in coronavirus infections.
Speaking at a meeting of the national coronavirus task force on Saturday, Abe asked people to avoid going to evening spots such as nightclubs and bars and follow the social distancing guidance.
Abe also urged businesses in seven prefectures, including Tokyo, to cut down the number of people going to the office by at least 70% and implement work from home systems.
The prime minister on Tuesday said Japan needs to reduce 70-80% of human contacts in the next two weeks to reverse the increasing trend of new coronavirus cases.
Despite Abe’s plea, urban cities in the country haven’t seen a drastic reduction in the number of commuters.
State of emergency declared: Japan issued a state of emergency on April 7 for a month across seven virus-hit prefectures but it carries no penalties for people venturing out for non-essential work.
Earlier on Saturday, Japan’s health ministry reported 658 new confirmed coronavirus cases and six deaths by the end of Friday