A state of emergency for Tokyo will be declared by the Japan government, which will run till August 22 to contain a new wave of coronavirus infections, a key minister said on Thursday.
Meanwhile, the Tokyo Olympics organisers are also considering to ban all spectators from the ahowpiece event, which will begin from July 23.
Earlier, medical advisers to the Japan government had said that having no spectators at the Games would be the least risky option.
As per reports, talks to finalise the restrictions on the spectators are expected either on Thursday or on Friday amd is likely to be presided over by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach.
Japan’s economy minister Yasutoshi Nishimura, who heads the government’s coronavirus response, said a state of emergency in Tokyo is set to begin on July 12, after new daily infections rose to 920 on Wednesday, the highest level since mid-May.
Significantly, a majority of local population is against the staging of Olympics as Japan is witnessing the fourth wave of Covid-19.