All Olympic Watch Events In Tokyo Have Been Canceled

Tokyo Olympics (Photo: ANTARA)

JAKARTA - The emergence of a new variant of COVID-19 which is more contagious has made the Japanese government take a new decision for the Olympics. Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike said that all public events to watch together during the Olympics and Paralympics in the Japanese capital would be canceled.

After holding talks with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, the governor of Tokyo said that some of the six venues planned to be used for live screenings of Olympic events would be used for COVID-19 vaccinations.

The announcement was made just over a month ahead of the Tokyo Olympics opening, with public concern about a potential spike in COVID-19 cases being fueled by the new, more infectious variant.

Quoted from ANTARA, these include Yoyogi, Inokashira and Hibiya parks in Tokyo, which reported 338 new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, June 29.

The meeting between Suga and Koike since May 21, comes ahead of Monday's virtual meeting hosted by Olympic and Paralympic organizers where they will decide on attendance limits at the games.

After deciding to end the COVID-19 state of emergency in Tokyo and other parts of Japan, Suga on Thursday expressed his willingness to hold matches with several spectators.

The Japanese government has said it will allow up to 10.000 people to attend the event, as long as it does not exceed 50 percent of venue capacity, in areas that are not in a state of emergency or pseudo-emergency.

The Japanese government and Olympic officials are considering applying the policy to the Olympics, which begin July 23, and the Paralympics.