Japan's PM says no need to suspend the Olympics despite record cases
Japan’s PM says there is no need to suspend the Olympics despite Tokyo seeing record number of Covid-19 infections four days after Games began
- Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga urged Tokyoites to avoid non-essential outings
- Comes after the capital had 2,848 cases, the highest since the pandemic began
- Experts believe the highly contagious delta variant has contributed to the surge
- Find out the latest Tokyo Olympic news including schedule, medal table and results right here
Japan’s prime minister has said there is no need to suspend the Olympic Games despite the host city Tokyo seeing a record number of Covid-19 cases four days after they began.
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga urged people to avoid non-essential outings but said the Games would not be halted after the Japanese capital reported 2,848 cases.
The toll exceeded Tokyo’s previous record of 2,520 daily cases in January and brought the city total of over 200,000 since the start of the pandemic.
‘First of all, thanks to the restrictions on vehicles, and through measures such as remote-working, with the cooperation of the public, the flow of people has been decreasing,’ Yoshihide Suga said.
‘Because the flow of people is decreasing, we’re not worried’, he added, blaming the highly contagious delta variant for the surge.
‘In any case, under these circumstances, I would like to ask the people to avoid going out unnecessarily and to watch the Olympics and Paralympics on TV,’ he added.
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has said there is no need to suspend the Olympic Games despite the host city Tokyo seeing a record number of Covid-19 cases four days after they began
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga urged people to avoid non-essential outings but said the Games, which started on Friday, would not be halted
The Japanese capital reported 2,848 cases on Monday, making up more than half of the entire country’s 5,020 new infections
Nationwide, Japan reported 5,020 daily cases Monday for a total of 870,445 and 15,129 confirmed deaths
Tokyo is under its fourth state of emergency, which is to continue through the Olympics.
The Summer 2021 Olympics were delayed from 2020 over the pandemic but, even as the Games opened on Friday with no spectators and intense precautions for athletes, Covid concerns were far from vanquished.
The Games are being held without fans and under tight quarantine rules to prevent the spread of infections, but a number of cases have emerged involving athletes, coaches, and support teams.
Olympics organisers reported 16 new Games-related Covid-19 cases on Monday, including three athletes, bringing the total since July 1 to 148.
The Dutch rowing team’s performance director said the team had agreed to separate itself from other competitors after one of its athletes, a coach and a staff member all tested positive for Covid-19.
A strict ‘playbook’ setting out rules to avoid contagion mandates frequent testing for the virus, restricted movements and wearing masks by athletes and others in most situations.
The International Olympic Committee said on Sunday, however, that athletes can briefly take off their masks on the podium for 30 seconds for a photo opportunity, as several did after their wins.
The opening match of the women’s beach volleyball tournament was cancelled on Saturday due to coronavirus.
Czech Republic star Marketa Nausch-Slukova tested positive earlier this week, forcing her and partner Barbora Hermannova to pull out of the contest and hand their Japanese opponents a 2-0 victory.
Czech Republic star Marketa Nausch-Slukova tested positive for coronavirus earlier this week
Fireworks explode during the Opening ceremony of the Tokyo Games on Friday at the city’s Olympic Stadium on Friday
Japanese Tennis star Naomi Osaka poses with the torch in her hand after lighting the Olympic Flame at Friday’s ceremony
Olympics organisers confirmed on Saturday that one more athlete at the Tokyo Games had tested positive for Covid-19.
Olympics-related cases rose by 17, organisers said, bringing the total number of disclosed cases to 123.
Nationwide, Japan reported 5,020 daily cases Monday for a total of 870,445 and 15,129 confirmed deaths.
Japan has kept its cases and deaths lower than many other countries.
Its seven-day rolling average of cases is about 3.57 per 100,000 people, compared to 2.76 in India, 17.3 in the United States and 53.1 in Britain, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
Source: Read Full Article