Video message from the Mayor HAYASHI Fumiko to businesses regarding COVID-19(2021.4.15)

You can also watch the video message with English subtitles below.

Business in Yokohama:
This is Mayor Hayashi Fumiko.

I would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to the businesses cooperating with preventive measures.
Thanks to your efforts, we have distributed 53,000 stickers indicating businesses with measures in place to prevent infection.
Even now that the state of emergency has been lifted, restaurants have been cooperating by implementing shortened business hours.
It is the combined efforts of each business that has helped suppress infections in Yokohama.
I again offer my deepest thanks and appreciation.

Businesses have been experiencing all new hardships.
The business survey index (BSI) for local companies in all industries sank 44.5 points in January to March this year.
Those in the restaurant industry have said the situation is dire as more customers refrain from dinner services compared to lunch, while those in the hotel and lodging industry say many people are being more cautious about travel, which leads to occupancy rates that have remained low, and that there is no end in sight.

Yokohama wishes to provide support for local businesses and is committed to city-wide efforts to do so.
From institutional loans to boost cash flow, to lump sums for small businesses or shōtengai shops and subsidies to invest in measures to prevent infection, the city has supported over 52,000 businesses so far.
With the budget of 2.405 billion yen for fiscal 2021, covid measures for daily life and the economy will help local SMEs maintain business continuity.

In addition to online sales channels, the city will subsidize new business activities such as online negotiations.
For the shōtengai shops that support our local economy, the city will subsidize a cashless service that can help prevent infection: the distribution of shopping vouchers.
To support cultural activities and the arts, the city will also subsidize preventive measures and venue costs at performances and exhibitions.

The city is also preparing to promote local tourism activities and products as well as accommodations.
We will identify opportunities to provide robust support to the hotel and hospitality industries.
In coordination with local support organizations, a special consultation center has been established to assist small businesses.
Users can consult about maintaining business continuity, developing new markets, investing capital, and more, so please feel free to call.

To make Yokohama a bustling and vibrant city again, we need to restore the economy, which depends on the active operation of our local businesses.
The city will continue to dedicate our full efforts to enhancing preventive measures and achieving economic revitalization.
Let us work together to overcome this challenging time and take a new step towards the future of Yokohama.

Thank you.