Tokyo confirmed 311 new cases of the novel coronavirus Monday, bringing November's tally to a monthly record of 9,857 amid a resurgence of infections in various parts of Japan as the winter season approaches.

The monthly tally surpassed the previous record set in August by around 1,700 infections, while the capital's cumulative total of coronavirus infections reached 40,939.

The daily figure was down from the 418 infections reported Sunday and a record 570 new cases logged Friday. Infection numbers tend to be lower on Mondays as fewer hospitals and clinics are open on weekends.

The number of severe COVID-19 cases totaled 70 in Tokyo on Monday, up three from the previous day and marking the highest level since the Japanese government lifted a state of emergency over the pandemic in late May.

Across Japan, severe cases stood at 472, up 10 from Sunday and marking a record high.

The average daily cases in the capital for the past week stood at 418.3, nearly 2.5 times higher than the 169.3 rolling average reported on Nov. 1.

On Nov. 19, the metropolitan government raised its virus alert to the highest of four levels.

The metropolitan government on Saturday started requesting restaurants and other establishments serving alcohol to shorten business hours by closing at 10 p.m. as part of efforts to prevent the further spread of the virus.