People walk along a commercial street in downtown Tokyo, Japan, on Sept. 5, 2021. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

       TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The Japanese government plans to relax COVID-19 curbs on travel, large-scale events and serving alcohol around November provided that most of the eligible population is vaccinated by then, sources with knowledge of the plan said Wednesday.

       The easing of restrictions will still take place in areas under a COVID-19 state of emergency if certain conditions, such as vaccination, are met, the sources said, as the government faces growing calls to restart economic activity to help struggling businesses.

       Japan is still grappling with high numbers of COVID-19 cases due to the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant. As a result, the government is expected to decide on extending the current COVID-19 state of emergency for Tokyo and other metropolitan areas, where hospitals remain under strain.

       Still, the government has judged that if people are either fully vaccinated or can prove that they are negative for the novel coronavirus, the risk of spreading it is low, allowing the existing curbs to be relaxed.

       Currently, people have been asked to refrain from traveling across prefectural borders, but such trips are possible if people have completed their vaccine regimen or can show proof of a negative COVID-19 test, the sources said.

       The government is also planning to ease the current 5,000-spectator limit on large events if the same conditions are met.

       Dining establishments that adhere to proper anti-virus measures will be allowed to serve alcohol, while groups larger than four can dine together.

       The government is expected to decide on easing COVID-19 restrictions and extending the state of emergency on Thursday.

       The state of emergency currently covering 21 of Japan's 47 prefectures is due to expire on Sunday and Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga is set to make a final assessment of where restrictions on business activity should remain in place before announcing the decision at a task force meeting on Thursday.

       The extension could be from around two weeks to one month, sources have said. With Suga having announced that he will not seek re-election as leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party beyond the Sept. 30 end of his presidential term, a monthlong extension would mean his successor, the new prime minister, would make the call on when to end the measure.

       A panel of experts advising the government on its COVID-19 response said Wednesday the state of emergency should only be lifted if hospital bed occupancy rates fall below 50 percent and patients with severe to moderate symptoms are on a downward trend.

       Daily new infections should also be in steady decline for about two weeks and the number of patients convalescing at home or waiting to be admitted to hospital should have fallen to around 60 people per 100,000 in metropolitan areas, the panel said.

       Tokyo has been under its fourth state of emergency since July 12, and the Olympics and Paralympics were hosted with almost no spectators at venues as the number of infections surged to record highs amid the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus.

       Under the measure, people are being urged to avoid crowded areas and restaurants told to stop serving alcohol and close by 8 p.m., though the requests are largely voluntary and compliance has slipped as many grow tired of living under the restrictions.

       According to the sources, Tokyo and three neighboring prefectures -- Chiba, Saitama and Kanagawa -- are likely to remain under the state of emergency. Osaka Gov. Hirofumi Yoshimura has also said an extension is "unavoidable."

       Some other areas where the COVID-19 situation has improved are expected to be downgraded to a quasi-state of emergency, which allows governors to target specific cities rather than place restrictions on their entire prefectures.

       Suga is stepping down after just a year in office amid criticism over his handling of the pandemic, with his public support in tatters and LDP lawmakers questioning his leadership heading into a general election this fall.

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