TOKYO, May 28: Japan extended a coronavirus state of emergency in Tokyo and other areas for 20 more days on Friday, with infections still not slowing as it prepares to host the Olympics in just over 50 days.
Cases remain high and medical systems in Osaka, the hardest-hit area in western Japan, are still overburdened, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said in announcing the decision.
The current state of emergency in the capital and eight other metropolitan areas was to end next Monday, but hospitals in some areas are still overflowing with COVID-19 patients and serious cases have recently hit new highs.
The 20-day extension covers nine areas ranging from Hokkaido in the north to Fukuoka in the south.
A 10th area, the southern island prefecture of Okinawa, is already under emergency status through June 20.
Olympic organisers must decide at about that time whether to allow any fans at all, after overseas spectators were banned months ago. A plan to prioritize vaccinations for Japanese athletes is expected to begin around then, according to media reports.
The Olympics are scheduled to start July 23 after a one-year postponement due to the pandemic, and worries about new variants and Japan’s slow vaccination rollout have triggered calls from the public, medical experts and even a sponsor to cancel the games.
Experts have warned that the variants are infecting more people, leaving them seriously ill and flooding hospitals.
Japan has lagged on vaccinations due to bureaucratic and planning missteps and shortages.
Only 2.3% of the population has been fully vaccinated, and the current phase targeting older adults is not scheduled to finish before the games start.
Still, Suga and his government are determined to host the Olympics. The International Olympic Committee has also said the games will go ahead even if host city Tokyo is under emergency measures.
Japan has reported about 730,000 coronavirus cases and more than 12,700 deaths.
Olympics looking more like fan-free event
The president of the Tokyo Olympic organising committee hinted on Friday that even local fans may be barred from venues when the games open in just under two months.
Fans from abroad were ruled out months ago as being too risky during a pandemic.
The prospect of empty venues at the postponed Olympics became more likely when the Japanese government decided Friday to extend a state of emergency as COVID-19 cases continue to put the medical system under strain.
Organisers and the IOC are insistent they will go ahead despite polls in Japan showing 60-80% want them called off.
Organising committee president Seiko Hashimoto promised to decide on local fans by April, then put it off until early June. Now the deadline is within a month of the July 23 opening date.
“There are many people who are saying that for the Olympic Games we have to run without spectators, although other sports are accepting spectators,” Hashimoto said.
“So we need to keep that in mind. We need to avoid that the local medical services are affected. We need to take those things into consideration before agreeing on the spectator count.”
Cancellation pressure grows daily on Tokyo and the IOC as more questions arise about the risks of bringing 15,000 Olympic and Paralympic athletes from more than 200 countries and territories into Japan , a country that has been largely closed off during the pandemic. (AP)
