Govt. may remove Tokyo, Nagoya from ' Go TO Travel' NHK WORLD -JAPAN 3 hours ago
The Japanese government is considering whether to remove Tokyo and Nagoya City from the domestic travel subsidy campaign. The areas are currently coronavirus hotspots.
The government will hold a taskforce meeting as early as on Monday to discuss what to do with the ' Go To Travel' initiative, which has been in place to support the pandemic-battered economy.
Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide argued on Sunday that the travel campaign has been propping up local economies. But he added the government will arrange with local governments to make a proper response to curb the spread of the virus.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has been asking bars and restaurants that serve alcohol to close early since late November. But that doesn't seem to have helped curb the outbreak as the capital reported a record daily cases of over on Saturday.
Although the capital has not been excluded from the campaign, Tokyo is calling on seniors and people with underlying health conditions to refrain from using it. The request is due to Thursday.
Major cities in Hokkaido, as well as in Osaka, have already been excluded from the program.
The central government is considering extending the measures as the virus is still spreading in the two cities.
