The governor of Tokyo vowed that the city’s medical system is ready for the Olympics Reuters

Authors: Antoni Slodkowski and Ami Miyazaki

TOKYO (Reuters)-Tokyo Metropolitan Governor Yuriko Koike said on Tuesday that the ample number of hospitals and the speeding up of vaccinations for the elderly mean that the city will be able to host a “safe and reliable” Olympic Games within ten days.

However, Koike told Reuters in an interview with Reuters at the Tokyo Government Headquarters that the Tokyo Government Headquarters had been a vaccination spot in the past few weeks. He also warned that the coronavirus pandemic is far from over and the delta variants that are spreading are still There is a risk.

“In the next ten days and during the Olympics, many people will be vaccinated. The biggest change from this will be a significant drop in the proportion of elderly deaths and severe cases,” Koike said.

“Because of this, and because the medical system is ready, I think we can promote a safe Olympics,” said Koike, who returned to work after a short break due to fatigue during hospitalization.

The Japanese capital entered a fourth state of emergency on Monday, leading to early closure of bars and restaurants due to a rebound of COVID-19 cases, which also prompted Olympic organizers to ban spectators from almost all venues last week.

Audiences from abroad were banned a few months ago, and officials are now asking residents to watch the Olympics on TV to minimize the movement of people.

“The Olympics are held without spectators, which is very sad,” Koike said. “Obviously, we will be able to reduce the risk (and therefore), but the spectators are also very important to the athletes and give them a great boost. It is a pity that we have to host the Olympics without them.”

Koike, 68, who often floats as a potential prime minister, was re-elected as governor during a landslide last year, and won public support with a direct conversation method of arguing about the pandemic, convolutional extension with nationwide vaccination.

The Citizen First Party linked to Koike performed strongly in this month’s local council elections, leading to speculation that she might make a comeback—so far refuted by Koike.

On Tuesday, she did not directly answer questions about the matter.

According to Yahoo News, the President of the International Olympic Committee Thomas Bach plans to visit Hiroshima, Japan on Friday. Hiroshima in western Japan was the first city to be bombed by an atomic bomb.

Kyodo News Agency said that Bach will also visit Fukushima and Sapporo.

The Olympics, which were postponed from last year due to the pandemic, lasted from July 23 to August 8, and the state of emergency — the fourth in the capital — lasted until August 22, shortly before the start of the Paralympics.