Authorities impose strict rules and protocols aimed at stopping the spread of the virus in Japan. The country is holding the Olympics and Paralympics despite warnings from many public health professionals that they should be postponed again or called off. But all spectators will be banned from the Tokyo venues at the 2020 Olympic Games, Japan’s Olympics Committee announced. The opening ceremony of the relay will be also held without spectators. Earlier today, Japan declared a coronavirus state of emergency for the capital. It will run from July 12 to Aug. 22, covering the 16 days of the Summer Games in its entirety. Japan also limited the number of athletes and coaches who can travel to Tokyo. The government has concluded that welcoming fans from abroad is not possible given concerns among the Japanese public over the coronavirus and the fact that more contagious variants have been detected in many countries. Events outside Tokyo are still being considered for spectators, Japan’s Olympics Committee says Some sportives are found positive and banned to participate.
Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike SAID her government wanted to vaccinate as many people involved in the games. The organizing committee was expecting to make 90 billion yen from ticket sales. While about 1 million overseas spectators were estimated to enter Japan, some 4.45 million tickets have already been sold in the country, of which about 810,000 requests for refund have been made so far. In Europe, the club soccer tournament being held in multiple cities, sometimes with tens of thousands of fans, has already demonstrated what can happen, being associated with an increase in cases in certain cities.
