Suga tells Japanese to watch Olympics on TV, as state of emergency eases

Name: ‘Almost impossible’ to send doctors, nurses to Olympics, says Japanese medical association
Uploaded: 2021-06-17T09:51:37.000Z
Duration: 2 min 16 s
Description: ‘Almost impossible’ to send doctors, nurses to Olympics, says Japanese medical association

The state of emergency in Tokyo and eight other regions will end on June 20, but will stay in place in Okinawa

Officials will soon determine how many domestic spectators will be allowed at the Games, scheduled to begin on July 23

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Passengers wait for a train at Shinjuku station in Tokyo. Photo: AFP

Agence France-Presse

Published: 5:51pm, 17 Jun 2021Updated: 7:02pm, 17 Jun 2021

Japan’s government on Thursday approved lifting Tokyo’s virus emergency just over a month before the Olympics, but set new restrictions that could sharply limit fans at Games events.

The state of emergency in place in Tokyo began in late April and largely limits bar and restaurant opening hours and bans them from selling alcohol.

That measure will now end in the capital and eight other regions on June 20, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga announced. It will stay in place in Okinawa.

“The number of infections nationwide has been declining since mid-May and the situation in terms of hospital beds is steadily improving,” he said. “On the other hand, in some regions, there are signs that the fall in the number of infections is slowing.”

In place of the emergency, the government will implement so-called “quasi-emergency” measures in Tokyo and six other areas until July 11.

The measures will slightly relax the rules on alcohol, allowing sales until 7pm, but still asks restaurants and bars to shut at 8pm.

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‘Almost impossible’ to send doctors, nurses to Olympics, says Japanese medical association

Suga on Thursday called on the public to watch the Olympics on television to avoid the spread of Covid-19 infections, as the organisers debate whether to allow domestic spectators into the Games venues.