Passersby wearing protective face masks are seen on the street amid the coronavirus disease outbreak, in Tokyo, Japan, Jul 16, 2020. TOKYO: Japan's economy minister says the government will urge businesses to aim for 70 per cent telecommuting and enhance other social distancing measures amid a rise in coronavirus cases among workers, some infected during after-work socialising.
"At one point, commuter numbers were down by 70 to 80 per cent, but now it's only about 30 per cent," Nishimura said."We really don't want to backtrack on this, so we have to explore new ways of working and keep telecommuting high."He also called on companies to avoid large gatherings and to urge staggered shifts.
Though the number of serious cases remains relatively small, the government is also concerned about a rise in infections among people in their 40s and 50s.