(Bloomberg) —
Tokyo disclosed its highest daily total of new coronavirus cases since May 5 at 47, local media including TV Asahi reported.
Twenty seven of the cases were traced back to nightclubs and bars, said Yasutoshi Nishimura, economy and fiscal policy minister, at a press conference Sunday. Eighteen people were apparently infected at the same place on a bustling street in Shinjuku, reported Asahi Shimbun. It is yet to be determined where 16 other people contracted the virus, said Nishimura.
“I’d like to deal with it positively,” said Nishimura about the case spike, with businesses being cooperative and measures taken to prevent a second wave of infections.
The jump comes days after the capital entered its final reopening phase and lifted the “Tokyo Alert,” which was issued to urge greater vigilance amid a rebound in cases after a state of emergency ended May 25. Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike isn’t considering canceling next year’s Olympics, she told Bloomberg Television last week.
On Saturday, Nishimura announced a new policy at nightclubs and bars to contain the spread, as Tokyo’s requests for some entertainment establishments to close or operate shorter hours are due to end June 19, according to Nikkei. It reported the policy will include customers being separated from each other and their contact information being checked.
As Japan’s economy gradually restarts, Nishimura told NHK on Sunday morning that the government will push for digitalization and support employment with subsidies.
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