Prime Minister Josihide Suga is expected to declare a third state of emergency in Tokyo and the western prefectures of Kyoto, Osaka and Hyogo during the day just three months before the opening of the postponed Olympic Games in the capital.
“It’s not about the Olympics,” Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympic Committee, said on Thursday about the possible state of emergency in Tokyo.
Hospitals in all four prefectures are under increasing pressure due to the growing number of coronavirus cases.
Osaka reported 1,167 new infections on Thursday, and for the third day in a row, the number of new infections exceeds 1,000 due to the rapid spread of new strains of the virus.
In the three western prefectures, the new options account for more than 80% of the total number of cases, meeting with a group of experts, said Minister for Economic Strengthening Yasutosi Nisimura.
861 new cases have been confirmed in Tokyo, the highest number in three months.
In most big cities, including Tokyo, almost everyone in society wears masks, but there are a lot of people on public transport, and there are more visitors in restaurants and shopping malls.
In order to reduce the crowding of large numbers of people, shopping centers are likely to be closed among the restrictions.
“We would like to intensify the implementation of stricter measures, including the introduction of closure requirements, in order to more effectively limit the flow of people and stop the spread of the infection,” the minister said.
The vaccination campaign finally started in mid-February, but is slow.
Currently, only 0.7% of the population is fully vaccinated, according to estimates by the Prime Minister’s Office.
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