All national dailies wrote that the GOJ informally decided on Thursday to put Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, and Hyogo under a COVID-19 state of emergency from April 25 through May 11. Prime Minister Suga told reporters on Thursday that the government made the decision to take the necessary measures focusing on the upcoming Golden Week holidays to stop the spread of infection. The GOJ is considering requesting eateries serving alcohol and large-scale shopping complexes measuring over 1,000 square meters in area to temporarily close their facilities except for sections selling daily necessities. Eateries that don’t serve alcohol will be asked to close by 8:00 p.m. Organizers of sports and other events will be asked to hold them without spectators in principle and railroad and bus operators may be asked to reduce service on holidays and weekends. The GOJ will make a formal decision on the matter today after consulting with an experts’ panel.