Sports games and movie theaters fill up as Japan eases crowd restrictions

Movie theaters, sporting games and other events drew large numbers over the weekend after Japan relaxed a rule limiting crowd sizes in another sign of a gradual return to social and economic activities following the outbreak of COVID-19.

A baseball game between the DeNA BayStars and the Yomiuri Giants at Yokohama Stadium drew a total of 13,106 spectators on Saturday, becoming the first national sporting event to surpass the 10,000 mark since the virus outbreak.

Both Nippon Professional Baseball and the J. League of soccer held games with more than 10,000 spectators after the government lifted the 5,000-person limit at large events. Stadiums can now be filled to 50 percent of capacity.

Domestic flight bookings with All Nippon Airways for Saturday, the first day of the four-day weekend, totaled 87,000, the highest level since Feb. 28. The airline said it has made an average of 69,000 bookings per day over the four days. period.

The increase in domestic travel contrasts with previous vacations such as Bon’s summer vacation period. Previously, people living in congested urban areas were asked to avoid taking trips to see their families or visiting tourist attractions in areas with fewer COVID-19 cases.

A study by mobile operator NTT Docomo showed that the number of people on Saturday at a domestic terminal at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport, as well as at train stations and business districts across the country, had basically returned to pre-pandemic levels. Pedestrian traffic at those sites had dropped by about a third earlier this month.

Saturday’s easing of crowd size rules came three days after the Tokyo Metropolitan Government lifted a request that restaurants, bars, karaoke rooms and other businesses serving alcohol in the 23 boroughs of the city. capital close their operations at 10 pm.

“It is important to balance infection prevention and promotion of economic activities,” Economic Revitalization Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura said on Saturday.

“Relaxing restrictions (on sporting and cultural events) represents an important step towards that goal,” Nishimura, who is also in charge of the government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, told reporters during a visit to Oita prefecture. .

Amid signs of a recent plateau in coronavirus cases across the country, the 50 percent attendance limit has been removed entirely for small cinemas and cinemas that are considered to be at low risk of infection.

T Joy Co., which operates around 20 movie theater complexes nationwide and numerous mini theaters, began allowing all seats at venues to be reserved from its first screenings on Saturday.

But major theater chains Toho Cinemas and Aeon Cinema, as well as live show and concert operators, have decided to keep the 50 percent restriction in place for now.

Among NPB teams, the BayStars raised their attendance limit to 16,000 at Yokohama Stadium, the Giants to 19,000 at Tokyo Dome and the Yakult Swallows to 14,500 at Jingu Stadium in Tokyo.

The government will decide whether to keep the attendance rule in effect beyond November after reviewing trends for coronavirus and seasonal influenza infection, according to officials.

At a press conference in Tokyo on Friday, Nishimura said avoiding 3Cs – confined spaces, crowded places and close-contact environments – was a prerequisite for loosening restrictions.

“I want (commercial operators) to rigorously apply basic measures to prevent the spread of the virus,” he said.

On Sunday, Tokyo confirmed 162 cases of the virus, a day after the capital reported 218 cases, the metropolitan government said.

Since mid-August, the number of new cases has been trending downward, with Tokyo confirming 77 daily infections on September 7, its lowest number in nearly two months. It was also compared to the 400 level recorded in a peak period in early August.

The capital has lowered its coronavirus alert to the second highest of four levels, meaning “vigilance is needed against a resurgence of the virus.”