Olympic Games-Japan considers banning all Olympic spectators from entering the venue, considering expanding restrictions Reuters

Author: Takemoto Yiwen

TOKYO (Reuters)-Several sources told Reuters on Wednesday that Japan is considering banning all spectators from participating in the Olympics because officials are considering expanding restrictions on the new coronavirus two weeks before the Olympics to control the infection.

For weeks, medical experts have stated that because the public is generally worried that the Olympics will cause a surge of new infections, no spectators at the Olympics will be the least risky option.

Organizers have banned overseas audiences and limited the number of domestic audiences to 50% of the capacity, up to 10,000 people, to curb the lingering coronavirus outbreak.

According to sources, officials have been working to resolve this issue for months, but the ruling party suffered a setback in the Tokyo parliamentary election on Sunday. Some of Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s allies blamed the public’s anger on the Olympics, forcing them to think. .

“Politically speaking, no audience is now inevitable,” a source from the ruling party told Reuters.

Japan will hold a general election later this year, and the government insists that the Olympics — delayed last year due to the spread of the virus around the world — should be held this year, which may cost the ballot box.

The Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee stated that it will restrict viewers based on the content of the Japanese coronavirus emergency or other related measures.

Japan has not experienced the kind of explosive COVID-19 outbreak seen elsewhere, but there have been more than 800,000 cases and 14,800 deaths. The capital Tokyo reported 920 new cases every day on Wednesday, the highest since May 13.

The slow rollout means that only a quarter of the population has been vaccinated against COVID-19 at least once.

The preparations for the Olympics have been shrouded in concerns about the impact of COVID-19, as the authorities have been working to eliminate the ongoing infection population, especially in Tokyo and its surrounding areas.

Government sources said that on Thursday, the government may extend restrictions in Tokyo and the three nearby counties beyond the originally scheduled end date of July 11.

Kyodo News reported that the extension may last for a month, which means that the restrictions will be implemented throughout the Olympic Games, starting on July 23 and ending on August 8.

Five-party talks

Audience issues will be decided in five-party talks on Thursday, including the governor of Tokyo and the chairman of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Thomas Bach.

When asked about this topic at a press conference on Tuesday, the top government spokesman Katsunobu Kato said that Yoshihide Suga had said that it was possible to hold the Olympics without spectators.

Shigeru Omi, the government’s top health adviser, told the parliamentary health committee on Wednesday that it is important to minimize the number of Olympic officials and others participating in the event.

He said that early July to September was “one of the most important periods” for Japan to fight the coronavirus.

“We have been saying that it is best to hold the event without spectators,” Omi said.

“We ask many people to take measures to prevent the infection from spreading further. The images of viewers will send conflicting messages to many people… People’s feelings are a very important factor when formulating our coronavirus response.”

Another blow to the Olympics is that the organizers announced on Tuesday that they will ask the public not to gather in the streets to watch the marathon, one of the most popular events in the Olympics.

The Tokyo authorities also decided to move most of the torch relay that was scheduled to arrive in the capital on Friday to outside of public roads. The torch lighting ceremony without spectators will be held instead.