Tokyo Summer Olympics logo.Photo: CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty
Japan declared a state of emergency in Tokyo this week to help slow risingCOVID-19cases in the country, a move that comes just three months before the start of theSummer Olympics.
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga made the announcement as Tokyo and three prefectures — Osaka, Kyoto and Hyogo — have recently experienced a sharp increase in cases of the deadly respiratory virus, according toNPR.
While the areas will not have to go into a full lockdown, restaurants and businesses will be under restrictions, the outlet reported. Places that sell alcohol or offer karaoke will experience the strictest limitations.
Overall, Japan has experienced 556,697 positive COVID-19 cases since the start of the pandemic, with 4,495 of them coming in the last seven days, according to aNew York Timesdatabase.
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“In Japan, we are entering a new phase,” Dr. Shigeru Omi, head of the COVID-19 advisory panel, said. “The infections are becoming more widespread in younger populations.”
With the Summer Olympics scheduled to begin in Tokyo on July 23, the country has enacted a series of new precautions ahead of the event to hold off the possibility of another cancelation — which theyadmit is still a possibility.
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Under the new guidelines, athletes and Olympic officials must always wear a face mask unless they are sleeping, eating or at least six feet away from others while outside. Physicalcontact — such as hugs, handshakes and high-fives — should also be avoided. Athletes also won’t be allowed to watch the events as spectators or travel using public transportation.
On April 15, a senior White House official said they believed it’s too early torecommend whether or not U.S. athletes travel to Japanfor the Olympics.
“We think the Olympics is a wonderful tradition,” the official said, “but at the same time, right now, it is probably slightly too early to make a call about what to expect.”
Despite millions of Americans getting vaccinated, nearly half of U.S. states saw a rise in cases last week, according toCNN.
To learn more about all the Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls, visitTeamUSA.org. Watch the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics this summer on NBC.
source: people.com
