Japan asks people not to visit bars, restaurants

Japan has broadened a request for people to stay away from bars, clubs and restaurants across the whole country. The measure previously covered seven urban areas, including Tokyo. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says at a meeting of the national coronavirus task force that many cases of infections have been confirmed at places where people are going out at night, and that spread is nationwide.

Japan's state of emergency, issued April 7, carries no penalties but asks people to stay home as much as possible. Abe reiterated his plea for companies to allow people to work from home, stressing that commuter train crowds had thinned, but more was needed. Although department stores and movie theaters have closed, some retail chains are still open.

Japan has about 6,000 coronavirus cases, and about 100 deaths. Worries are growing cases will surge dramatically, and hospitals will be overloaded. The Tokyo city government has asked pachinko parlors and karaoke bars to close but allows small ?izakaya? bars and barbershops to stay open.