TOKYO: The Tokyo metropolitan government is looking at rolling back its closure requests for a wide range of business operators as early as June 1 if the number of new coronavirus infection cases remains at low levels, Jiji Press learned Sunday.

The business suspension requests will likely to be eased for commercial facilities, cinemas, other theaters and cram schools, informed sources said.

With the Japanese government expected to lift the state of emergency over the coronavirus completely on Monday, the metropolitan government will allow the reopening of libraries and museums, effective midnight Monday (3 p.m. GMT), in line with its three-stage road map for relaxing its business suspension requests.

It will permit the hosting of sporting events, such as professional baseball games, with no live audience, while allowing restaurants to operate until 10 p.m., compared with 8 p.m. at present.

The Tokyo government will then head for a second stage of relaxation after carefully examining infection levels, the sources said.

It has own criteria for easing the business suspension requests, including a daily average of fewer than 20 new infection cases in the past week.

The average stood below 10 as of Sunday, and if the figure remains at low levels, the second stage of easing will be implemented as early as June 1, pushing up the upper limit on the number of participants in an event from 50 in the first stage to 100 in the second stage.

The metropolitan government plans to review whether to relax the suspension requests every two weeks in principle, but has suggested its readiness for a flexible approach according to actual infection levels, considering the importance of allowing the restarts of economic and social activities.

Still, the Tokyo government intends to make a careful decision on whether to shift to the second stage, as the number of new infection cases in Japan's capital exceeded 10 for the first time in three days on Sunday.

Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike told reports on Sunday night that her government will ask business operators to cooperate in efforts to prevent the spread of infections even after the business suspension requests are eased.

"As we also need to warm up the economy, we hope to make progress step by step," Koike said.

JIJI Press