Japan to implement COVID emergency in Tokyo, non-fan Olympics | Olympic News

As the Japanese capital is battling a new wave of cases, the pressure on the Olympic organizers is mounting around the audience.

Japan will declare a state of emergency for Tokyo to have the city’s last coronavirus wave, which will continue as the Olympics unfold, a key minister said Thursday as organizers plan to ban all spectators at the event.

Expert medical advisers have said for weeks that not having an audience at the Games would be the most dangerous option amid widespread public concern, as the arrival of thousands of athletes and officials will fuel a new wave of infection.

Organizers have already banned foreign audiences and established them hat to home fans capacity at 50 percent, up to a maximum of 10,000 people. Speeches are expected to end the audience restrictions on Thursday or Friday.

Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), who will arrive in Tokyo on Thursday to oversee the final part of the preparations, will lead the talks.

Japanese Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura, who is in charge of the government’s coronavirus response, said the state of emergency in Tokyo will be in force from July 12 to August 22.

The Olympics will start on July 23 and run for two weeks. Below will be the Paralympic Games.

The decision to impose a state of emergency has been on the rise in Tokyo cases since mid-May. The Japanese capital now has more “almost emergency” measures.

The move is expected to be made official later on Thursday, after which Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga will give a press conference.

Areas near Tokyo, where some Olympic events, such as Chiba and Kanagawa, are also planned, will remain “almost in emergencies” until August 22nd.

Underlining the last-minute nature of the preparations, organizers on Wednesday told Olympic sponsors that they anticipate two scenarios when Tokyo is in a state of emergency: no spectators or setting a 5,000-person limit on spectators, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters news agency.

On the non-spectator stage, the opening and closing events, as well as all sporting events, will be held without fans, including tickets assigned to sponsors, organizers told companies at online meetings.

If the number of spectators is limited to 5,000 seats, the tickets allocated to the Olympic sponsorships would be halved, and organizers expect that even from 21:00 (12:00 GMT) sessions would be held without spectators, the source said.

The organizing committee did not immediately respond to an email seeking comments.

Until this week, officials have stressed that they can safely organize the Games with some spectators, but a the retreat of the ruling party in Sunday’s Tokyo assembly election, sources said some of Suga’s allies were forced to change tactics due to public outcry over the Olympics.

Japan will hold parliamentary elections this year and government insistence that the Games – which has already been delayed by a year due to the pandemic – should go ahead and get support at the polls.