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April 10, 2020

Declaration of a state of emergency in Tokyo (COVID-19) 

Affected area

The entire Tokyo Metropolitan area

Duration

From April 7 to May 6, 2020

Further details

Tokyo residents are strongly requested to stay home.

Excluding activities such as receiving medical treatment, buying food, going to work or other essential tasks, we request that Tokyo residents stay at home whenever possible.

Any restrictions on the use of services or facilities will be decided in conjunction with the national government. The scope of restrictions will be determined by the national government as it assesses the effectiveness of requests to stay home.

 

 

Q&A about the declaration of a state of emergency in Tokyo

About the request to stay home (for Tokyo residents)

Q1: Will going to the supermarket to buy food be restricted?

A:  Going out to buy essential items from supermarkets or pharmacies will not be restricted. Please avoid crowds, and if you need to line up in a queue, keep a distance and avoid the “three Cs" (closed spaces, crowded places and conversations in close proximity).

Q2: Will going to the hospital or to medical facilities be restricted?

A: Going to the hospital or to medical facilities will not be restricted.

Q3: Will going to work be restricted?

A: Going to work will not be restricted, but workers and businesses are requested to work from home, cancel business trips and meetings which are not urgent and essential, and take other measures to refrain from going out as much as possible.

Q4: Will going to funerals be restricted?

A:  Going to funerals or wakes will not be restricted. Please make sure you avoid the “three Cs” as much as possible.

Q5: Will going to the bank be restricted?

A: Going to the bank for essential activities, such as withdrawing savings, will not be restricted. However, please avoid going out if it is not urgent and essential. If you go out, please do not go when it is busy. Keep a distance from other customers and avoid the “three Cs” whenever possible.

Q6: Will going to restaurants be restricted?

A: Going to restaurants will not be restricted, but please avoid going out if it is not urgent and essential. If you go out, please do not go when it is busy. Keep a distance from other customers and avoid the “three Cs” whenever possible.

Q7: Can I go to other prefectures from Tokyo?

A: Going to work, to the hospital, and going out for essential reasons will not be restricted. Please avoid the “three Cs”, and refrain from going out for other reasons in order to prevent the spread of disease.

Q8: Can I enter Tokyo from other prefectures?

A: Going to work, to the hospital, and going out for essential reasons will not be restricted. Please avoid the “three Cs”. Please refrain from going out for other reasons in order to prevent the spread of disease.

Q9: Will trains be stopped?

A: Public transport, such as trains, will not be requested to suspend services. Please do not make journeys that are not urgent and essential, for example returning to your hometown in a panic.

Q10: Will roads be closed?

A:  Roads will not be closed, so please do not make journeys that are not urgent and essential, for example returning to your hometown in a panic.

Q11: Will the distribution of goods stop completely?

A: Companies involved with the supply and distribution of goods, the maintenance of essential services and utilities are guaranteed to keep operating. Hoarding and panic-buying is strongly warned against.

Q12: Will I have to complete paperwork to go out?

A:  Paperwork will not be needed to go out.

Q13: Will there be penalties for going out?

A: While there will not be penalties for going out for non-essential non-urgent reasons, the cooperation of each and every resident is necessary to stop the spread of COVID-19. Please refrain from going out to protect the lives and health of you and your loved ones.

Q14: Why isn’t going out forbidden?

A: Under the Act on Special Measures for Pandemic Influenza and New Infectious Diseases Preparedness and Response, there is no provision for measures to forbid going out. In order to protect the lives of all residents, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government strongly requests residents not to go out.

For businesses

Q: Should shops and companies close?

A: Please see here(PDF:216KB) for a list of requests made to various types of businesses and facilities.