TOKYO: The Japanese government plans to ease its coronavirus-linked capacity restrictions for large-scale events from November, it was learned Thursday.

The upper limit of 10,000 on crowds at large events, currently imposed in 27 prefectures including Tokyo, will be removed, while the ceiling of 50 pct of venue capacity will be maintained for the time being.

The plan was approved at a meeting of a government panel on the fight against COVID-19 on the day.

Currently in the country, event crowds are basically limited to 5,000 or 50 pct of venue capacity, whichever is greater.

However, the 10,000-attendee limit was introduced as a one-month transitional measure in the 27 prefectures when the government lifted a COVID-19 state of emergency and pre-emergency measures there at the end of September.

After the temporary limit is lifted, a baseball stadium with a capacity of 40,000 people, for instance, will be allowed to accept up to 20,000 fans.

Meanwhile, the maximum allowable number of visitors to a facility with a capacity of 8,000 people will be 4,000 for events where spectators shout and 5,000 otherwise.

Some local governments may impose their own restrictions, such as capping event crowds at 10,000.

The central government is currently conducting demonstrative experiments with vaccine certificates and negative test results, with the view to further relaxing the coronavirus restrictions. It aims to present plans for easing the curbs on events and gatherings with meals in early November at the earliest.

“We’ll review the restrictions, based on the results of the demonstrative experiments,” Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihiko Isozaki told a press conference on Thursday.

JIJI Press