In Yamagata City, where the infection of the new coronavirus has spread rapidly and Yamagata Prefecture has issued its own state of emergency, requests for shortening business hours to restaurants that serve alcoholic beverages began on the 27th.
According to it, the period is until the 11th of next month, and the target is about 1200 restaurants that serve alcoholic beverages, including restaurants with entertainment and karaoke shops, and the business hours will be from 5 am to 9 pm I am requesting.
In the downtown area near JR Yamagata Station, which is crowded from evening to night, many shops with shutters closed were quiet.
A male university student who was visiting said, "I can't help shortening business hours, but I don't have many opportunities to go drinking with friends, so I hope the shortening period will end sooner."
In addition, the chicken restaurant in the city has shortened its business hours by a few hours.
At the store, we saw people coming to eat early dinner and picking up take-out products.
The store's sales are halved compared to last week before its own state of emergency was issued.
Yoshiaki Koya (41) of "Gaburichikin. Yamagata Ekimae Store" said, "It is unavoidable in the midst of the spread of the infection. It is painful for management, but I have to put up with it."
In response to the rapid increase in the number of newly infected people, Yamagata Prefecture and others newly expanded the prefecture's own state of emergency to Sagae City on the 27th.
We are calling for refraining from coming and going with Sagae City as much as possible.
In addition, the prefecture will request that the business hours of restaurants be shortened from 5 am to 9 pm from the 30th of this month.