The Japanese government decided on Thursday to end the state of emergency in Tokyo and surrounding areas on Sunday. The decision is a boost for the organization of the Olympic Games, which will start in four months.
A state of emergency was declared in early January due to the increasing number of new infections in Tokyo. The situation has now improved – for example, more hospital beds are available – and that, according to Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, is reason enough to lift the state of emergency.
That does not mean that all restrictions in Tokyo, Saitama, Chiba and Kanagawa will be lifted. For example, the restaurants must close their doors at 9 p.m. at least until the end of March. In this way, the authorities want to prevent another wave of contamination.
409 new corona virus infections were reported in Tokyo on Wednesday. These are a lot less new cases than in January. This is the largest number of new infections since mid-February. In the Japanese capital, more than 1,600 people have died of COVID-19 so far. In the whole of Japan, there are more than 8,700.
Governor Yuriko Koike warns that the residents of Tokyo must remain vigilant despite the lifting of the state of emergency. “We have only just started vaccinating. Until we are done with that, we have to keep working,” said Koike.
The Olympic Games are scheduled for next summer from July 23 to August 8 in Tokyo. Due to the corona pandemic, many Japanese do not like the four-yearly sporting event to take place.
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