Japan expands state of emergency as COVID-19 surge shadows Olympics

TOKYO: Japan said on Friday it will expand states of emergency to three prefectures near Olympic host Tokyo and the western prefecture of Osaka, as COVID-19 cases spike in the capital and around the country, overshadowing the Summer Games.

Tokyo, already under its fourth state of emergency since the pandemic began, announced 3,300 new daily cases, after a record 3,865 on Thursday.

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga told a news conference the virus is spreading at an unprecedented speed largely because of Delta variant, adding he is worried the country’s hospital beds could become stretched.

“With a heavy heart, I want to ask everyone: until we see the impact of more vaccinations, I want you all to stay vigilant and implement infection prevention measures to the full,” he said, calling on people to watch the Olympics on TV at home.

Already, 64% of Tokyo’s hospital beds available for serious COVID-19 cases are filled as of mid-week.

The new emergency measures will be in effect from Aug. 2-Aug. 31, while existing states of emergency for Tokyo and southern Okinawa island will be extended to Aug. 31, covering 37% of the country’s population.

Together with another five prefectures which Suga declared as coming under ‘quasi-emergency’, more than a half of the country now lives under some restrictions.

Health Minister Norihisa Tamura said the country had entered a new “extremely frightening” stage as cases are spiking even though the movement of people was not increasing.

Japan has imposed a series of “state of emergency” declarations, but the orders are mostly voluntary, unlike other countries which impose strict lockdowns.

Yet many people have grown weary of stay-home requests, with some bars refusing to adhere to service restrictions.

The surge in COVID-19 cases is bad news for Suga, whose support rates are already at their lowest since he took office last September and who faces a ruling party leadership race and general election later this year.

Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura, who is spearheading Japan’s COVID-19 response, repeated that all those who want to get vaccinated should be able to do so by October or November.