It’s been a while since we were last able to order a bottle of wine with dinner or sit at a bar, but with the state of emergency set to expire on Thursday September 30, it looks like alcohol restrictions in Tokyo will be eased, too.
According to Mainichi, the government is considering allowing restaurants and drinking establishments to resume serving alcohol if they have been certified for following Covid-19 safety regulations. NHK reports that businesses will still be required to operate on shortened business hours, though some food and beverage establishments in Tokyo will be allowed to operate until 9pm (one hour later than the current cut-off at 8pm).
However, restaurants that have not been certified by the government must continue to close by 8pm and refrain from serving alcohol. In addition, establishments are asked to still refrain from offering karaoke.
A decision is still being made on the cut-off time for serving alcoholic beverages. Once they are approved, these new measures will be in place for roughly one month. Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike is expected to hold a meeting later this evening and will announce more details soon to confirm the eased restrictions.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more details are announced.
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