Japan Tokyo will enter a state of emergency Olympic Games, Afraid of continuing Coronavirus disease The surge will increase exponentially during the Olympics.
In a meeting with experts on Thursday morning, government officials proposed a plan to issue a state of emergency in Tokyo from next Monday to August 22. The Summer Olympics, which have been postponed by the pandemic for a year, will begin on July 23 and end on August 8.
The Olympics will already be held without foreign audiences, but the planned six-week state of emergency may end the opportunities for local audiences. The local organizers are expected to make decisions about the fans when they meet with the International Olympic Committee and other representatives later on Thursday.
Tokyo’s current measures are not too strict, focusing on shortening the operating hours of bars and restaurants, but facts have proven to be less effective in slowing the spread of the coronavirus.
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Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga will formally announce the emergency plan later on Thursday, when Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee, is about to arrive in Tokyo. Bach must self-isolate for three days in a five-star hotel in the Japanese capital’s International Olympic Committee before heading to Hiroshima, where heavy rain is threatening flooding.
The upcoming emergency will be Tokyo’s fourth emergency since the pandemic began, and will be changed at the last minute after meeting with experts who strongly warn the government against soft measures.
A major focus of the emergency is the requirement to close bars, restaurants and karaoke rooms that supply alcohol. Banning the provision of alcoholic beverages is a key step in diluting Olympic-related celebrations and preventing people from drinking and gatherings. Residents of Tokyo are expected to face the requirement to stay at home and watch the Olympics on TV at home.
“How to prevent people enjoying the Olympics from going out to drink is a major issue,” said Norihisa Tamura, Minister of Health.
Tokyo reported 920 new cases on Wednesday, up from 714 cases last week and the highest since 1,010 cases on May 13. This number is consistent with experts’ earlier estimates that the average daily number of cases in Tokyo may reach 1,000 before the Olympics and soar to thousands in August.
Kazuhiro Tateta, an infectious disease expert at Toho University, pointed out that the emergency in early spring came too late to prevent the overcrowding of hospitals in Osaka, and said that further delays should not be allowed.
Ryuji Wakita, director of Japan’s National Institute of Infectious Diseases, pointed out that two-thirds of Japan’s cases are from the Tokyo area. “We are worried that the infection will spread to neighboring areas.”
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Experts also pointed out that Japan’s vaccination efforts have lost momentum due to supply uncertainties, so the number of unvaccinated young people is increasing.
Only 15% of Japanese people are fully vaccinated, which is lower than 47.4% in the United States and nearly 50% in the United Kingdom. Nationwide, approximately 810,000 people have been infected in Japan and nearly 14,900 people have died.
“The infection is in an expansion phase, and everyone in this country must deeply understand its seriousness,” Dr. Shigeru Omi, a senior medical adviser to the government, told reporters.
He urged the authorities to take swift and tough measures ahead of the Olympic Games, which is approaching the summer holiday. “July to September is the most critical period for Japan to take COVID-19 measures,” Omi said.
© 2021 Canadian Press
