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Restaurant, bar owners worry about tighter COVID-19 steps

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So many people I know now go out earlier and then go hang out in parks to socialize eating snacks and light drinks since establishments close down. The owners of the establishments usually go along.

-5 ( +7 / -12 )

The bar and restaurant owners are the ones who are keeping the virus alive and well. They should be worried about the government of the self proclaimed ‘rich country’ adequately subsidizing them to stay closed. If they do not stay closed they will be suffering economic ruin for years as the pandemic rolls on.

0 ( +10 / -10 )

The government has to step in and subsidise these businesses, along with imposing strict rules regarding limitation capacity at restaurants and bars to ensure proper social distancing, which is clearly not happening at the moment.

BOJ, make that money printer work a little harder for these businesses to survive.

Regarding the common citizen/resident, lets do our best to support these businesses ordering take out and so on.

6 ( +7 / -1 )

No worries! There’s trillions more in assistance waiting to be doled out to the owners of these establishments who, we’re told in the thread comments, are down the park drinking with their customer buddies. Nice work if you can get it. I’m sure I’m not the only one wondering how it is that there’s no shortage of help for one group, and yet for others who are just as deserving, the generosity impulse shrivels up tighter than a snare drum.

9 ( +9 / -0 )

The bar and restaurant owners are the ones who are keeping the virus alive and well. 

Yep. The perpetuation of everything that is happening in Japan regarding the pandemic is all in order to protect their businesses. Unless there are some real serious measures it’s just going to continue to affect all these places negatively.

7 ( +7 / -0 )

The strange thing is that, though they won't admit it, most of the small restaurant owners are happy

closing at 8pm and getting the 60,000 yen handouts from the gov't. They have reduced their staff to the barest minimum and happy with pocketing money free money.

11 ( +13 / -2 )

Getting tired of hearing about the bar and restaurant owners. At least they can be open until 2000 in most cases, and earn income from sales before they close, and they get subsidies on top of that.

A lot of businesses have had to totally close down due to the epidemic, and receive nothing.

11 ( +13 / -2 )

I know many places making more in a day thanks to the government handout than they ever made from sales back in the day. They’re loving it!

9 ( +9 / -0 )

@wanderlust, I'm with you. Here in Victoria, where cases are minimal, restaurants and bars have been told to close completely until further notice. But the powers-that-be allow religious gatherings (although reduced). Bar and restaurant owners in Japan don't know how lucky they and their employees are.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

I've expressed frustration in the past that bar/restaurant owners are getting a lot more support than most other businesses and seem to be the only industry that the government even recognizes.

That said, some of them are suffering and it's not their fault that the government seems unable to make a logical and fair subsidy system. Some of them are raking in far more money now than they ever made from being open, yet other ones are going bankrupt and losing huge amounts, because the subsidy system makes no sense.

On the other hand, dumb as it sounds, the 8pm thing does actually seem to be working - however temporarily.

But if they don't get their butts in gear with the vaccinations, it's just going to be a never ending loop of month long 8pm curfews, numbers rebounding, month long 8pm curfews, etc..

It's kinda unbelievable that non of these bar owners said something along the lines of 'I just wish they'd hurry up with the vaccinations that could save our businesses and lives!'

My Suggestion: Give GoToTravel & GoToEat vouchers to everyone when they get vaccinated. Then they can go out and support these businesses, and not cause a rebound.

Oh, and make the current support based on a combination of 'number of staff employed' and 'income lost since 2019'.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Sitting customers, having them face each other is not the best way to stop the spread of a virus

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Here in Italy restaurants and bars are closed all day long but they could offer take away service until 22.00

4 ( +4 / -0 )

 "We need to prepare for it beforehand. I hope they will disclose their plans as early as possible"

They had a hear to make a plan. Try to know what Einstein said about insanity.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

The final solution to all these problems is the vaccination program. When will people start insisting that the government get their act together and vaccinate the entire population. They aren't even close to having the medical workers vaccinated yet. They need to ramp it up to 2 to 3 million vaccinations per day. Stop piddling around doing

3 ( +3 / -0 )

With such huge numbers, alk of you've to worry about if your life will be infected by Corona virus.

-5 ( +0 / -5 )

Vaccinate us NOW so we can stopybthis yo yo cycle.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Yes, restaurant owners (and associated employees) should all be very concerned by the latest authoritarian whims of a group of politicians and bureaucrats who will certain to continue getting their OWN paychecks, month by month, no matter what they deem "necessary and vital" for the rest of the economy to do!

Off topic, but did anyone else notice in the accompanying pic, the probably 25 year old adult "maid" walking through the night streets of Tokyo accompanied by an enormous stuffed animal? lol. Only In Japan.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

@Do the Hustle: The bar and restaurant owners are the ones who are keeping the virus alive and well. 

If it is true that restaurants and bars are the cause of most infections is it too much to ask for proof? Maybe the leading cause of infection transmission is the public transportation system. Millions of people are jammed into closed environments for extended periods of time transferring to multiple buses and trains. Wouldn’t the best solution be to shut down public transportation at 8 o’clock every night?

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Maybe the leading cause of infection transmission is the public transportation system

Again, a misunderstanding about the risk in transports, which is really low one overly overestimated and feared.

If I follow your logic, bars and restaurants are much safer ???

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

I have got to say Japanese news just sucks. At first I thought it was just English news, but no it all sucks.

i could write half of the articles I read everyday a month in advance.

Government to consult experts (revision 15)

government considers restrictions (revision 35)

New restrictions in place to combat potential surge (revision 25)

Restaurant owners unhappy with restrictions (revision 25).

Some fear new wave will... (revision 28)

return to new normal has people concerned... (revision 15)

my god

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Sadly the responsible owners that do limit the number of people allowed and close early are left with the consequences of what the ones that do as the like bring.

Mere suggestions without teeth means some people will simply not listen, keep a packed place without any hint of social distancing and their costumers end up producing cases continuously, meanwhile those that actually understand the value of the measures will end on the street without any support for doing the right thing.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

So many countries have proven time and time again that restrictions don't work...

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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