Published
Fri, Jan 8, 2021, 21:55
- The new measure runs from January 7th to February 7th.
Nightclubs in Tokyo are temporarily closing their doors after a state of emergency was declared on Thursday.
The month-long measure impacts four neighboring regions that include Tokyo and Yokohama. It comes amid a third wave of coronavirus cases across the country—this week, the daily number of new infections in Tokyo crossed the 2,000 mark for the first time.
In a state of emergency, authorities can request businesses to close or shorten hours. Several clubs in Tokyo have already indicated they will be complying with such requests.
Oath, Aoyama Tunnel and Red Bar have released a joint statement saying they will be closed from January 7th. Vent, a four year-old venue, will cancel events this weekend, it posted on social media.
Experimental space Forestlimit said it will change its business hours among other measures. Bonobo, a two-storey club, will close for the entire state of emergency period, owner Koichi Seike announced on social media.
Contact will be closed nearly every day during the emergency period, club director Yuko Ichikawa told Resident Advisor. The venue expects to receive 60,000 yen ($577 USD) per day from the government, which she says is "not enough but better than last time." This is Tokyo's second state of emergency since the pandemic first hit.
Bars and restaurants, meanwhile, will be asked to stop serving alcohol by 7 PM while residents are encouraged to avoid non-essential outings at night, according to the Japan Times. Officials are also looking to pass a law that would fine businesses defying closure requests, the newspaper noted.
This story has been updated with a quote from Tokyo club Contact.