The famous shrine named Meiji Jingu in the capital Tokyo has decided to close on New Year’s Eve due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Every year, this temple attracts about 3 million visitors in the first 3 days of the new year. To avoid the spread of disease, the Meiji Jingu Shrine will close at 4:00 pm on December 31 and reopen from 6 a.m. on January 1, 2021, and urge everyone not to gather at the same time to avoid crowded.
Meiji Jingu Shrine also intends to set up a signboard warning visitors to avoid close contact and practice social stretch while queuing for prayers. From January 1 to January 4, the food stalls will be banned from operating on the temple grounds and the restaurant will have to close. In Japan, because it is the country of Shinto, it is a beautiful custom to go to the temple at the beginning of the year.
Meanwhile, many tram lines will also stop serving on New Year’s Eve. The six railway operators in the capital Tokyo said they would not operate late on New Year’s Eve and early morning of New Year’s Day. In addition, the Mayor of Tokyo and the governors of the three provinces adjacent to Tokyo have asked railway lines not to run trains all night.
Today (December 23), Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary, Mr. Kato Katsunobu, said that Japan starting tomorrow (December 24) temporarily stopped allowing entry for people from the UK due to concerns about the new strain of SARS-CoV-2 virus in this country.