As the 2020 Tokyo Olympics nears its halfway point, Japan has placed some of the neighboring regions of the capital under a state of emergency.
Japan is now in its fifth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Much like most nations these days, case surges have become apparent due to the Delta variant.
The country placed its capital under a state of emergency earlier this month. But, despite the restrictions and measures, the 2020 Olympic host pushed through with the Games, which kicked off last July 23.
With all these factors at hand, the public’s worries and fears have continued to develop. This also comes as the country has decided to expand its emergency powers to four more regions, according to BBC.
State of emergency expansion across Japan
The Prime Minister of Japan announced that the state of emergency will also take effect beyond Tokyo. These regions are the prefectures of Saitama, Kanagawa, Chiba, and Osaka.
Yoshihide Suga declared that it will start from Monday until August 31. He consequently warned that coronavirus infections “were spreading at an unprecedented rate” due to the Delta variant.
The latest COVID-19 state of emergency comes as the country exceeded the 10,000-mark in terms of daily cases on Thursday. It was the first time in months, with the third of the count coming from Tokyo, where the Olympics are taking place.
Tokyo extends emergency powers
Meanwhile, Japan is extending its state of emergency in Tokyo. The capital has already seen “three straight days of record cases,” causing an alarm among citizens. Moreover, hospitals across the city are now reportedly under “increasing pressure.”
Inside the Olympic bubble, officials also recently recorded its highest daily COVID-19 count. On Friday, the organizing committee reported 27 new transmissions, bringing the overall number to more than 200.
While many are seemingly linking the apparent surge in the city to the Games, Olympic organizers, as well as the country’s officials, are dismissing the conclusions.
COVID-19 surge has no association with the Games
During the announcement, PM Yoshihide Suga emphasized that the Olympics is not driving the current rise in COVID-19 cases across Tokyo. He explained that they have imposed “virus-curbing measures,” like cutting the flow of people and implementing stricter border controls.
The Prime Minister of Japan, later on, urged again the public to watch the Games from home. This is to reduce the risk of infections and further spread of the virus. Reports noted, though, that the event does not allow in-person spectators.
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