Japan widens virus restrictions as omicron surges

Restaurants and bars will close early in Tokyo and a dozen other areas across Japan starting Friday as Japan widens COVID-19 restrictions. The extra measure is due to the omicron variant causing cases to surge to new highs in metropolitan areas.

With Okinawa, Hiroshima and Yamaguchi under similar measures since early January, the state of restraint now covers 16 areas, or one-third of the country. While about 80% of Japanese have received their first two vaccine doses, the rollout of booster shots has been slow and has reached only 1.4 % of the population so far.  

Throughout the pandemic, Japan has resisted the use of virus lockdowns and has focused on requiring eateries to close early and not serve alcohol. Officials urge the public to wear masks and practice social distancing, as the government seeks to minimize damage to the economy.  

Tokyo logged 8,638 new cases of coronavirus infection Thursday, exceeding the previous record of 7,377 set just the day before.