On Friday, Japan’s government will extend a viral state of emergency in Tokyo and impose it in four more regions, as cases rise a week after the Olympics were postponed due to the pandemic.
On Thursday, the Japanese capital reported a new high in new infections, as daily cases countrywide surpassed 10,000 for the first time.
The organizers of Tokyo 2020 reported 27 new cases tied to the event on Friday, the biggest daily total yet, though they stress there is no evidence of a link to rising infections throughout Japan.
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga stated that the government is operating “with a sense of urgency” and that a decision on expanding anti-infection measures will be announced on Friday.
The current viral emergency in Tokyo, which restricts restaurant and bar hours and prohibits the sale of alcohol, is set to end on August 22, but the government plans to extend it until the end of the month.
The emergency in southern Okinawa will also be extended, and the limits will be extended to three other locations near the capital and western center of Osaka, according to government spokesperson Katsunobu Kato.
