Coronavirus: Japan declares state of emergency; spectators barred from Tokyo Olympics

TOKYO — Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on Thursday declared a state of emergency in Tokyo due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic in a decision which prompted Olympic organizers to bar spectators from the 2021 Games.

The state of emergency is set to begin Monday and run through Aug. 22. The Olympic Games begin in Tokyo on July 23 and end Aug. 8.

Update 12 p.m. ET July 8: In a statement issued Thursday, the International Olympic Committee confirmed that spectators will not be allowed to attend the Tokyo Games.

In June, officials with the International Olympic Committee, the International Paralympic Committee, the Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and the Japanese government agreed that restrictions could be placed on the number of spectators allowed to see the Games “in the event that a state of emergency or other priority measures aimed at preventing infection are implemented at any time after 12 July 2021.”

In light of the state of emergency announced Thursday by Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, officials said, “No spectators will be allowed into any venues in Tokyo during the Olympic Games.”

Officials with the International Olympic Committee and the International Paralympic Committee said they supported the government’s decision “in the interest of safe and secure Games for everybody.”

Organizers added that a decision on whether to allow fans to watch the Paralympics “will now be taken when the Olympic Games end.”

Update 10:10 a.m. ET July 8: Olympic Minister Tamayo Marukawa on Thursday confirmed the decision to bar spectators from the Tokyo Olympics to Japanese news agency Kyodo.

Tokyo reported 920 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, up from 714 a week earlier. Only 15% of the Japanese population are fully vaccinated.

Organizers of the Olympic Games met Thursday to discuss whether spectators would be allowed at events despite the state of emergency declared earlier in the day by Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, The Washington Post reported. Previously, organizers planned to allow venues to host Japanese spectators at as much as 50% of their capacities, according to Axios. Foreign spectators had already been banned from the Games due to the risk posed by COVID-19.

“Taking into consideration the impact of the delta strain, and in order to prevent the resurgence of infections from spreading across the country, we need to step up virus prevention measures,” Suga, who had long favored allowing fans into events, said on Thursday, according to The Associated Press.

Original report: Just two weeks before the Summer Olympics are set to begin, Japanese officials are reportedly planning to declare a state of emergency in Tokyo amid a surge in COVID-19 cases.

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According to The Associated Press, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga is expected to announce the plans, which would place Tokyo under a state of emergency from Monday through Aug. 22, later Thursday. The already delayed Olympics are set for July 23 through Aug. 8.

The move likely means that local spectators won’t be allowed at the Games, the AP reported. The International Olympic Committee, organizers and officials will meet Thursday evening to decide whether they can attend. Officials previously said foreign spectators will not be allowed, according to the news agency.

The news came as the city logged 920 new COVID-19 cases Wednesday, Tokyo’s largest daily total since 1,010 on May 13, the AP reported. About 15% of Japan’s population is fully vaccinated, officials said.

Read more here.

– The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Photos: Simone Biles, Sunisa Lee dominate US women's gymnastics Olympic trials Members of the U.S. Women's Olympic Gymnastic Team, Simone Biles, Suni Lee, Jordan Chiles, and Grace McCallum plus individual members MyKayla Skinner and Jade Carey (L-R) are announced after the U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Trials Sunday, June 27, 2021, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

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