Olympics: Tokyo aims for 10,000 spectators

The government is expected to communicate the new measures that will come into effect in the coming days. The Suga administration wants to allow the public to attend competitions contrary to the recommendations of health experts,.

Tokyo (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The Japanese government should communicate today how the state of emergency currently in force will be changed to combat the Covid-19 pandemic. The decision also affects the number of spectators admitted to major events, including the Olympics, which will begin on 23 July. According to local media, the Japanese government aims to allow the presence of 10 thousand national spectators.

The decision regarding the relaxation of the measures will involve 10 prefectures, including that of Tokyo.  The Minister for the Economy, Yasutoshi Nishimura, says the executive will not completely abolish the state of emergency, but will try to adopt intermediate "quasi-emergency" measures. A group of experts has already approved the government plan and seven prefectures are expected to keep the new rules in force until 11 July.

In the state of "quasi-emergency", the number of participants in the events is set at a maximum of 5 thousand people or half the capacity of the structure hosting the event.

Health emergency adviser Shigeru Omi said yesterday that the maximum number of spectators at the demonstrations could increase to 10,000, but the state of "quasi-emergency" needs to be lifted in order for this to be possible.

The WHO and other experts have made recommendations for the government. Prohibiting the presence of the public would be the least risky approach; if, on the other hand, spectators were to be admitted, it would be necessary to impose more restrictions than other major events. Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato declined to comment on the proposals.

A little over a month ago in Japan there were 6,331 new cases of Covid-19, while yesterday there were 1,717. Many fear that the easing of restrictions could raise the number of infections; according to surveys, the Japanese population remains sceptical about the presence of the public at the Olympics due to the delay of the national vaccination campaign compared to other countries.

• japan
• tokyo
• olympics
• olympic games
• pandemic
• coronavirus
• covid-19
• restrictions
• state of emergency