Japan declares state of emergency ahead of Tokyo Olympics

TOKYO: Japan’s Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has declared a coronavirus state of emergency for Tokyo which will go on during the Tokyo Olympics.

Reportedly,  the state of emergency will come into effect from Monday and last until August 22.

"Taking into consideration the impact of the Delta strain, and in order to prevent the resurgence of infections from spreading across the country, we need to step up virus prevention measures," Suga said as stated in a report.

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As per reports, the International Olympic Committee Vice President John Coates had earlier said that the Tokyo Olympics will proceed even if the city or other parts of Japan are under a COVID-19 state of emergency.

Reportedly, oversees spectators have already been banned. Domestic spectators have been fixed at 50% capacity up to 10,000 people to prevent the spread of infection.

Japan has not been severely impacted by the pandemic compared to other countries. However, it had recorded 800,000 cases and nearly 15,000 deaths.

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