In a bid to contain the surge in COVID19 cases, Japan, the host of Olympics, has declared a state of emergency in its capital Tokyo. Also, the East Asian nation is mulling to ban all spectators from attending the Olympic’s sporting events so as to cut down the risk of the infection spreading further.
According to The Associated Press, Japan’s Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga held a meeting with key ministers to discuss measures to contain the outbreak and has reinstated a state of emergency in the capital until August 22. The Olympics games commence on July 23 and are slated to end on August 8.
Spectators from abroad are already banned from attending the Olympics and there exists a cap on domestic fans at 50 percent capacity as well as a maximum capacity of 10,000 people in a stadium.
Japan registered 920 new cases yesterday, on July 7. It is the second highest number of COVID19 cases recorded in Japan in a day after it reported 1,010 cases on May 13.
The primary emphasis of the state of emergency is asking the bars, restaurants and karaoke parlours serving alcohol to shut down. A ban on serving alcohol is supposed to be an important measure limit the Olympic-related festivities and prevent people from drinking and partying.
