Japan is considering extending its coronavirus containment measures in Tokyo and other regions from two weeks to a month, Japanese media said, until the Tokyo Summer Olympics, which take less than a month to start.
The Japanese capital and other territories are currently under a ‘quasi’ state of emergency to be lifted on July 12, but officials concerned a recent surge in coronavirus cases and could affect spectators at Olympic venues.
According to the Mainichi Shimbun daily, the government is considering extending the measures by two to four weeks, a period that will overlap with the Olympics, already delayed by a year, to open on July 23.
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A government meeting on coronavirus measures is set to be held later on Wednesday to discuss ways to deal with signs of an imminent surge in coronavirus numbers that experts are concerned about, as well as the spread of more highly transmissible variants .
“Any decision about semi-emergency measures will be taken based on the policies we have in place,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato told a news conference.
Under a ‘semi’ state of emergency, spectators at events are limited to 5,000. Olympic organizers have ruled that spectators will be allowed up to 50 percent of the venue’s capacity, or a maximum of 10,000, although foreign spectators have been banned.
Meanwhile, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike, who was hospitalized due to fatigue, was released early Wednesday. Media reports said that she will be working from home indefinitely.
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Tokyo on Tuesday decided to remove the first part of the 15-day Olympic torch relay in the capital from public roads.
Authorities have promised to hold the Olympic Games “safe and secure”, but are facing continued resistance from a large section of the public, with concerns rising after two members of the Ugandan delegation arrived in Japan after testing positive. Has been.
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