With all eyes peeled on the commencement of Olympics 2021, the Japanese government has delivered a major jolt to anticipators. In a bid to contain the spread of COVID-19, Japan has now entered into a state of emergency, just 16 days before the Tokyo Olympics are all set to begin.
Tokyo Olympics were slated to commence from July 23 and run till August 8. The Games were already postponed from last year. Now, a state of emergency has been declared in Japan from July 7 to August 22.
The daily number of new COVID-19 infections in Osaka has declined sharply from the peak in the fourth wave of the pandemic in Japan, with 126 confirmed cases reported on Tuesday, compared to a high of 1,200 in mid-May. However, the downside trend stopped in recent weeks, with prefectural officials voicing concerns over the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant, as well as an increase in infections among people in their 20s and 30s. According to Kyodo, the Tokyo metropolitan government reported 920 new cases of COVID on July 7, the highest since mid-May.
"There are signs of the coronavirus beginning to spread again and there is a high risk of a rebound," Osaka Governor Hirofumi Yoshimura said at a task force meeting.
What about Olympics?
Despite the state of emergency, the Games are likely to be held with limited or no spectators. Organisers had already banned foreign spectators and even limited the domestic spectators to 50 percent capacity, which comes up to 10,000 people.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) had earlier assured that it will work towards delivering a safe and secure Olympics. Health experts are of the opinion that hosting the Games without spectators would be the least risky option.
Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike said the Olympics would be hosted safely in line with the state of emergency. The final call on the spectators is to be made this week when the government officials meet IOC president Thomas Bach.
