They Told Us to Travel... Suga Declares Suspension Amid Surge in New COVID-19 Cases in Japan

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga is answering questions from the press about measures to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at the Prime Minister's Official Residence in Tokyo on the 19th. In Japan, the spread of COVID-19 is severe, with the number of new daily confirmed cases exceeding 2,000 for the first time on this day. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Hana Na] As the number of new COVID-19 cases in Japan is surging, the Japanese government has announced that it will suspend its domestic travel promotion policy in certain regions.

According to Japan's Kyodo News, 539 new COVID-19 cases were reported in Tokyo Metropolis (T?ky?-to) on the 21st. This marked the highest number of new cases recorded in a single day, pushing Tokyo's cumulative cases beyond 37,000.

As the situation worsened, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga declared the suspension of the regional tourism promotion campaign "Go To Travel" in some areas where COVID-19 is spreading rapidly.

According to Kyodo News and NHK, Prime Minister Suga stated at the COVID-19 task force meeting that "measures such as halting new reservations will be implemented in areas where COVID-19 infections are spreading."

Additionally, Prime Minister Suga requested local government heads to consider temporarily suspending the issuance of new meal vouchers under the food and beverage consumption promotion campaign "Go To Eat."

This decision came just one day after the Japanese government's COVID-19 subcommittee recommended modifying the implementation of "Go To Travel" in regions experiencing a rapid increase in cases.

The Japanese government is currently implementing policies such as "Go To Travel," which subsidizes part of domestic travel expenses, and "Go To Eat," which provides points for dining expenses. However, there are concerns that these policies may be accelerating the spread of infections.