Tokyo will seek to get the Japanese government to declare a state of emergency, as authorities step up restrictions to contain an increase in coronavirus infections before the Olympics in just three months.
Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike told reporters that cases of viruses were spreading in the capital and that swift action was needed, as the medical system has been strained in some areas.
“Seeing the situation, I think we need to take action as soon as possible,” he said. The city is expected to make the final decision after a meeting of the virus group on Thursday.
Covid-19 cases in the city have risen in recent days to levels not seen since late January, when the capital was in its second state of emergency.
The government of Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga intensified restrictions this month in Tokyo, Osaka and other regions to curb the spread, imposing measures calling on bars and restaurants to close at 8pm, and those who fail to comply face fines. .
Tokyo may be looking for even more restrictions calling for restaurants to be closed if a state of emergency is declared, TBS television reported, without saying where he got the information from. This would be the strictest measure in an emergency so far in Japan, but that measure could increase the risk of a double-dip recession and deal a severe blow to thousands of restaurants struggling to survive.
Civil liberties enshrined in the Japanese Constitution prevent the imposition of a blockade supported by police action, as has been seen in other nations.
Tokyo’s one-day virus cases rose 70 percent in just two weeks to 759 on Saturday, a sign that the capital follows Osaka, the second-largest metropolitan area where daily cases have hit all-time highs this month.
Suga reiterated the government’s stance that the Olympics will be held as planned despite any state of emergency.
“There will be no impact on the Olympics. The government will do everything possible to organize the Games safely, “he told reporters.
There is no law prohibiting the Olympics from being held in the event of an emergency, but it is likely to affect the number of national spectators allowed. Fans abroad are already barred from access.
The increase in cases has further aggravated Japanese public support for the Olympics, which would be one of the world’s largest pandemic-era events, with more than 70% polled by ANN over the weekend saying who was against holding the Games in July.
The vaccine launch in Japan will be far from complete before the Olympics, which will attract more than 60,000 athletes, coaches, national team staff, the media and other essential workers from more than 200 countries. Immunizations of people aged The 65-year-olds, who started this month, may not finish until next year due to insufficient collaboration from medical staff in some regions, the Liberal Party MP Nikaki reported in the newspaper Democrat Hakubun Shimomura.
Despite rising numbers in Japan, the country has a long way to go the fewest registered cases of Covid-19 in any country in the Group of Seven. Its death toll has also been among the lowest in the group, with about 9,650, well below the 128,000 in the UK, which has a population of about half that of Japan.
– With the assistance of Lily Nonomiya
(Refund with comments from the governor of Tokyo, Koike and Suga)