TOKYO – Japan will decide this month on whether or not to permit domestic spectators at the Tokyo Olympics, the government’s chief spokesman mentioned on Wednesday, following media reviews a proposal to permit up to 10,000 individuals at events was under consideration.
The final call will be made taking into account coronavirus infection conditions and the prevalence of virus variants, Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato informed reporters when asked about the reports.
Japan plans to move ahead on a proposal that will allow up to 10,000 spectators or 50% of a venue’s capacity, whichever is smaller, at events during the Games, Kyodo News mentioned late Tuesday, citing government sources.
Tv network TV Asahi reported Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s administration is reviewing options such as putting a cap for the number of domestic spectators at 5,000 or 10,000.
Overseas spectators are already prohibited from the Olympics starting on July 23 as part of measures planned to deliver what the Japanese government and Olympic officials promise will be a “safe and secure” Games.
The government’s top medical adviser Shigeru Omi will hold a news conference on coronavirus countermeasures at 0850 GMT on Wednesday, the Cabinet Office mentioned.
Omi has been outspoken in recent weeks about the risks of holding the Games throughout a pandemic and has mentioned guidance from him and other experts were not making its way to the International Olympic Committee.
The IOC has tried to quell such concerns by saying that most athletes and media coming to Tokyo will be vaccinated and that the so-called playbook governing hygiene, movements, and testing of participants will further mitigate infection risks.
The Olympics have already been postponed by a yr amid concerns over how organizers can keep volunteers, athletes, officials, and the Japanese public safe when they begin on July 23 after the fourth wave of infections.
Tokyo, Osaka, and eight other prefectures remain under a state of emergency that’s set to end on June 20.
Osaka Governor Hirofumi Yoshimura mentioned Wednesday he’s against lifting the emergency declaration “too simple,” including he would request quasi-emergency measures to avoid an infection rebound.
Japan’s sluggish vaccination push is beginning to gain steam of late, and recent polls have pointed to acceptance that the Games will go forward.
Hofu City, within the southwestern prefecture of Yamaguchi, is vaccinating high school students, far ahead of the rest of the nation, earlier than they volunteer to help with pre-Games training thereby Serbia’s national volleyball team.