Movie theaters, sports games and other events drew large numbers over the weekend after Japan relaxed a rule limiting the size of crowds in yet another sign of a gradual return to social and economic activities following the outbreak of COVID-19.

A baseball game between the DeNA BayStars and the Yomiuri Giants at Yokohama Stadium drew a total of 13,106 spectators on Saturday, making it the first domestic sporting event to top the 10,000 mark since the outbreak of the virus.

Both Nippon Professional Baseball and soccer’s J. League held matches with over 10,000 spectators after the government lifted the 5,000-person cap on large events. Stadiums can now be filled to up to 50 percent of their capacities.

Reservations for domestic flights with All Nippon Airways for Saturday — the first day of the four-day weekend — totaled 87,000, the highest level since Feb. 28. The carrier said it has booked an average of 69,000 reservations per day over the four-day period.

The surge of domestic travel stands in contrast to previous holidays, such as the summer Bon holiday period. Previously, people living in congested urban areas were asked to avoid making trips to see their families or visit tourist attractions in areas with fewer cases of COVID-19.

A study by mobile carrier NTT Docomo showed the number of people Saturday at a domestic terminal at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport, as well as at train stations and shopping districts nationwide, had basically returned to pre-pandemic levels. Foot traffic at such sites had fallen by about a third as of earlier this month.

Saturday’s easing of the rules on crowd sizes came three days after the Tokyo Metropolitan Government lifted a request that restaurants, bars, karaoke parlors and other businesses serving alcohol in the capital’s 23 wards close operations at 10 p.m.

“It is important to balance the prevention of infection and the promotion of economic activities,” economic revitalization minister Yasutoshi Nishimura said Saturday.

“Easing restrictions (on sports and cultural events) represents a major step toward that goal,” Nishimura, who is also in charge of the government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, told reporters during a visit to Oita Prefecture.

Amid signs of a recent plateauing of nationwide coronavirus cases, the 50 percent attendance cap has been fully scrapped for small cinemas and theaters deemed to have low infection risk.

T Joy Co., which operates around 20 cinema complexes nationwide and numerous mini theaters, began allowing all seats at venues to be booked from its first screenings on Saturday.

But major movie theater chains Toho Cinemas and Aeon Cinema, as well as operators of live stage shows and concerts, have decided to keep the 50 percent restriction in place for the time being.

Among NPB teams, the BayStars raised their attendance cap to 16,000 at Yokohama Stadium, the Giants to 19,000 at Tokyo Dome and the Yakult Swallows to 14,500 at Jingu Stadium in Tokyo.

The government will decide whether to keep the attendance rule in place beyond November after reviewing coronavirus and seasonal influenza infection trends, according to officials.

Speaking at a news conference Friday in Tokyo, Nishimura said that avoiding the 3Cs — confined spaces, crowded places and close-contact settings — was a prerequisite for relaxing restrictions.

“I want (business operators) to thoroughly enforce basic measures to prevent the spread of the virus,” he said.

On Sunday, Tokyo confirmed 162 cases of the virus, a day after the capital reported 218 cases, the metropolitan government said.

Since mid-August, the number of new cases has been trending downward, with Tokyo confirming 77 daily infections on Sept. 7, its lowest figure in almost two months. It also compared to the 400 level logged in a peak period in early August.

The capital has downgraded its coronavirus alert to the second-highest of four levels, meaning “vigilance against a resurgence of the virus is needed.”