Japan Records Two Dark Records For COVID-19 In The Midst Of The 2020 Tokyo Olympics

Illustration of lonely Japan during COVID 19. (Wikimedia Commons/Asanagi)

JAKARTA - The Japanese government on Friday proposed a state of emergency until Aug. 31 in three prefectures near the Olympic host city Tokyo and the western prefecture of Osaka, a cabinet minister said, as COVID-19 cases surged to records across the country.

Citing Reuters Friday July 30, the existing state of emergency for Tokyo and the southern island of Okinawa should be extended until August 31, Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura, who is spearheading Japan's pandemic response, told a panel of experts.

Experts are expected to sign off on the proposal, with Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga making an official announcement this Friday.

Japan's capital Tokyo announced a record 3,865 daily infections on Thursday, up from 3,177 the day before. Not only that, the national daily infection case also recorded a record for the first time reaching 10,000 cases, as reported by local media.

Noting that the healthcare system was already under pressure, Nishimura said, "By creating a strong framework for the region as a whole, we want to suppress the spread of the virus at all costs".

However, PM Suga and the organizers of the Olympics firmly denied that there was a link between the series of multi-sport events between these countries and the increase in infection cases.

To note, athletes and other participants from around the world must follow strict rules to prevent the virus from spreading within the 'Olympic bubble' or into the wider city. Spectators are banned from most venues.

But experts fear hosting the Games has sent a confusing message to the public about the need to limit activity to contain the virus, as the highly contagious Delta variant spreads.

To date, only less than 30 percent of the Japanese population has received a complete COVID-19 vaccination. Nishimura reiterated that everyone who wants to be vaccinated can do so in October or November.