Giant advertising screens on buildings overlooking a popular scramble crossing near Tokyo's Shibuya Station will be turned off earlier than usual on New Year's Eve, as one of the efforts to deter people from gathering amid the coronavirus outbreak.

The Shibuya Ward Office asked operators of 13 large screens in and around Shibuya's main intersection to switch the screens off from 11 p.m. on December 31, two hours earlier than last year.

The mayor of Tokyo's Shibuya Ward has asked people to refrain from coming to the district to celebrate Halloween this year, to prevent spreading of the coronavirus.

Hasebe Ken made the rare call at a news conference on Thursday ahead of Halloween next Saturday.

A request by Tokyo's governor that people stay home this weekend amid the coronavirus outbreak had shown some results on Saturday morning. Observers reported seeing fewer people than usual around the major rail hub of Shibuya.

A few people were sitting on the benches near the Hachiko dog statue, a popular meeting spot.