Tokyo(Japan) The Japanese government has decided to place Tokyo under a coronavirus state of emergency, its fourth so far. Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide announced it will be in effect from Monday July 12 to August 22. That will include the duration of the Tokyo Olympics.
Suga told a news conference that the occupancy rate of hospital beds and the number of patients in serious condition remain low due to the vaccine rollout. But he said infection cases in Tokyo are rising with the spread of the Delta variant first detected in India.
“We must avoid another outbreak starting in Tokyo. With that in mind, we decided to take preemptive measures, and declare a state of emergency for Tokyo once again,” Suga said.
With two weeks until the Tokyo Games begin, Suga pledged safety above all.
“Holding a safe and secure Games amid the coronavirus pandemic is a good opportunity to show our global unity to overcome the current difficulties together,” he said.
Infection cases in the capital have been going up. Health authorities reported 896 new infections on Thursday, marking the 19th straight day cases have gone up compared to the week before.
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