Tokyo may extend coronavirus curbs into Olympics period

Japan is considering an extension of its coronavirus prevention measures in Tokyo and other areas by two weeks to a month, Japanese media said, with less than a month to go until the Tokyo Summer Olympics are set to open. The Japanese capital and other areas are currently under a “quasi” state of emergency set to be lifted on July 12, but a recent uptick in coronavirus cases has officials concerned and could affect the number of spectators allowed in to Olympics venues.

According to the Mainichi Shimbun daily, the government is considering extending the measures by two to four weeks, a period that would overlap with the Olympics, already delayed a year, that open on July 23. A government meeting on coronavirus measures is set to be held later on Wednesday to discuss ways of dealing with signs of an impending surge in coronavirus numbers that has experts worried, along with concern about the spread of more highly transmissible variants.

Under the “quasi” state of emergency, spectators at events are capped at 5,000. Olympics organisers have ruled that spectators will be allowed up to 50 percent of the venue capacity or a maximum of 10,000, though foreign spectators have been banned. Tokyo on Tuesday decided to move the first half of the 15-day Olympic torch relay scheduled to take place in the capital off public roads.

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