Tokyo To Allow Serving Alcohol With Conditions
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government plans to allow bars and restaurants to serve alcohol under certain conditions from Monday.
The move comes as the coronavirus state of emergency is to end on Sunday and be replaced by less stringent restrictions in the capital.
Sources say bars and restaurants will be asked to close at 8 p.m., but allowed to take orders for alcoholic drinks between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m.
Customers who want to drink are to be asked to visit such establishments alone or with at most one person, and allowed to stay up to 90 minutes.
But Tokyo officials reportedly plan to ask the establishments to stop serving alcohol if the coronavirus situation worsens.
The measures are expected to be implemented in Tokyo's central 23 wards and much of the western Tama area.
The metropolitan government asked businesses that serve alcohol to close temporarily since the current state of emergency began on April 25.