Japan’s government on Thursday announced a new virus state of emergency stretching throughout the Tokyo Olympics, as reports said organisers could bar fans from almost all events at the Games.
“The number of new cases continues to rise in Tokyo,” warned Japan’s minister in charge of the virus response Yasutoshi Nishimura on Thursday.
“As the movement of people increases, the more infectious Delta variant now accounts for around 30 percent of cases. This is expected to expand further,” he added.
The virus emergency rules are looser than the harsh lockdowns seen in other parts of the world.
Alcohol will be banned at bars and restaurants, which will have to close by 8pm, and events such as concerts and conferences will have to end by 9pm.
And crucially, spectators at events will be capped at 5,000 people or 50 percent venue capacity, whichever is less.
“We hope to contain the spread of infections by placing Tokyo under a state of emergency,” Nishimura said, warning that hospitalisations were rising among people in their forties and fifties.
The decision puts pressure on Olympic organisers who are scrambling to make a final ruling on how many local fans, if any, will be in the stands at the Games.
Several Japanese media outlets said Thursday that organisers were now likely to bar spectators from all competition venues in Tokyo and three surrounding areas.
Tokyo 2020 is struggling to build momentum and enthusiasm for the Games as the final countdown begins.
A torch relay that was supposed to stoke excitement as it travelled nationwide has been taken off public roads in much of the country over virus risks, and even its legs in the capital will now be held without spectators.
And fans have been asked to avoid the route of the Olympic marathon when it is run in northern Hokkaido.
Polls show most Japanese would prefer the Games be postponed again or cancelled outright, though opposition has softened in recent weeks.(FRANCE 24 with AFP)