Japan raises alert levels in bid to beat variant spread before Summer Olympics
JAPAN has announced it will raise the coronavirus alert level in Tokyo to allow tougher measures to curb the rapid spread of a more contagious variant ahead of the Summer Olympics.
Japan’s vaccination drive has lagged and most people in the capital have still not been inoculated as infections have surged.
The raised status announced by Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga will allow Tokyo’s governor to mandate shorter opening hours for bars and restaurants, along with punishments for violators and compensation for those who comply.
The measures are to begin on Monday and continue through until May 11.
Many of Tokyo’s cases have been linked to nightlife and dining, though they have recently spread to offices, elderly care facilities and schools, experts say.
Mr Suga also raised the alert level for Kyoto in western Japan and the southern island prefecture of Okinawa, where cases have surged in recent weeks.
The new alert level there is to continue through until May 5, the end of Japan’s “Golden Week” holidays, to discourage travelling.
The steps come less than three weeks after a non-binding state of emergency was lifted for Tokyo and underscore the difficulty of balancing anti-virus measures and the economy.
Mr Suga’s government has been criticised for being too slow in enacting anti-virus measures out of a reluctance to further damage the pandemichit economy.
Osaka has declared a medical emergency after its hospitals became overwhelmed with new cases and has moved next week’s Olympic torch relay there off public roads.
Tokyo governor, Yuriko Koike, who on Thursday asked
Mr Suga’s government to boost the capital’s alert level, said she is alarmed by the recent rise in virus cases and the possible impact of new variants.
She urged residents to avoid non-essential trips and practise social distancing.
Ms Koike is expected to issue an order for bars and restaurants to close at 8pm.
Just over one million people in Japan, or less than one per cent of the population, have received the first of two vaccine doses, and the surge in cases may cause further cancellations of Olympic-related events.
Inoculation started in mid-february for medical workers while elderly people are scheduled to get their shots starting next week through to late June.
The rest of the population is likely to have to wait until around July, making it almost impossible for Japan to reach so-called herd immunity before the Tokyo Olympics begin on July 23.
Last month, Mr Suga pledged to do his utmost to prevent a resurgence of Covid-19 ahead of the Olympic torch relay and his upcoming visit to Washington.
Mr Suga told his ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s annual convention that the next period would be “an extremely
important time” for virus prevention.
“We must not put our guards down... to prevent the infections from rebounding,” he said.
He was also speaking as months-long emergency measures for Tokyo, Kanagawa, Chiba and Saitama were due to end, a move underscoring Mr Suga’s government’s eagerness to minimise burdens on businesses and keep the economy going, despite concerns by experts about the potential for an upsurge.
They had been in place for the Tokyo region since January 7 after daily infections surged to new highs in the area. The non-binding measures relied on requests for restaurants and bars to close at 8pm and take preventive measures.
The lifting of the restrictions came just days before the Olympic torch relay started from Fukushima, north-east of Tokyo, the site of the 2011 nuclear crisis. The launch was planned as a symbol of reconstruction.
Mr Suga renewed his pledge to hold the Olympics in July as “proof of the victory against the coronavirus” after its one-year postponement due to the pandemic. Olympic officials had already decided to bar spectators from abroad.