The Japanese government is requesting local authorities to urge restaurants to provide air ventilation and implement COVID-19 prevention guidelines when they inspect such establishments based on the building sanitation law.

The request is part of the government’s comprehensive steps to prevent clusters of coronavirus cases from being formed at restaurants that were announced by economic revitalization minister Yasutoshi Nishimura on Tuesday.

The government is considering cooperating with the operators of restaurant booking websites to have such sites show how individual restaurants are taking measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus infections.

It will also urge restaurant industry groups to investigate at an early date whether respective eating and drinking establishments are abiding by the anti-infection guidelines.

Under the government’s comprehensive steps, economic organizations will urge companies to avoid setting up meal gatherings of large numbers of people.

The government will also request universities to call on their students via email or other means to be vigilant about possible COVID-19 infections, as group infection cases involving university students have been reported.

Nishimura, who is in charge of the government’s response to the pandemic, told a news conference on Tuesday that a renewed coronavirus state of emergency, if any, should be declared by the government on a prefectural basis, instead of on a municipality basis, pointing to the need to take steps covering wide areas in view of economic and living spheres.

This remark came after Kamon Iizumi, head of Japan’s National Governors’ Association, urged the central government Monday to issue a municipality-based state of emergency if necessary.

JIJI Press