Major Japanese airlines said Friday they will suspend more domestic flights after Japan declared a fresh state of emergency over the novel coronavirus for Tokyo and its neighboring prefectures to stem the spread of the virus.
All Nippon Airways Co. will cut 2,698 flights between Jan. 15 and 31, bringing the operation rate for January to 66 percent compared to 79 percent in December, according to its parent ANA Holdings Inc. Japan Airlines Co. will cut an additional 3,567 flights between Jan. 13 and 31, with its operation rate for this month falling to 60 percent from 78 percent last month.
Shinkansen bullet train services linking Tokyo and major cities such as Nagoya and Osaka will be cut by around 10 percent between Jan. 18 and Feb. 28 from an original plan, operator Central Japan Railway Co. said. The average number of trains operated daily will decrease to 309.
JR Central said the reduction comes as the number of passengers has already been declining due to rising coronavirus cases.
Under a one-month state of emergency from Friday through Feb. 7 for Tokyo, Chiba, Kanagawa and Saitama prefectures hit by resurgent coronavirus infections, people are asked to refrain from non-urgent outings, especially after 8 p.m. The governors of Osaka, Kyoto and Hyogo in western Japan are expected to ask the government to place their prefectures under a state of emergency.
Restaurants and bars are asked to stop serving alcohol by 7 p.m. and close by 8 p.m. Entertainment facilities are also affected by the emergency declaration, the second of its kind for the Tokyo metropolitan area. Attendance at events will be capped at 5,000 people or 50 percent of venue capacity.
Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea will close at 7 p.m., an hour earlier than previously announced, from Tuesday to Feb. 7, according to operator Oriental Land Co. The decision was made to ensure visitors can go home by 8 p.m., in line with the government's request.
The operator said it will stop serving alcohol in the parks at 7 p.m. and limit the number of tickets to be sold from Tuesday to a maximum 5,000 at each facility.
