CORONAVIRUS UPDATE: Tokyo Reports 4,066 Coronavirus Cases
Tokyo, hosting the Olympics while under a state of emergency, confirmed 4,066 new COVID-19 cases on the last day of the games on Sunday, topping 4,000 for the fifth straight day, amid persistent concerns over the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant.
When the Olympics formally began on July 23, the capital reported 1,359 daily coronavirus cases, with the public fearing infections could hit record highs during the games.
The number of new coronavirus cases has been mostly on the rise since the Olympics opened, with Tokyo’s daily tally hitting a record 5,042 on Thursday.
On the same day, tougher measures against the pandemic were introduced in eight prefectures newly placed under a quasi-state of emergency, with restaurant operators requested to cut opening hours and suspend serving alcohol.
The eight prefectures — Fukushima, Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma, Shizuoka, Aichi, Shiga and Kumamoto — joined five prefectures such as Kyoto and Fukuoka already subject to such restrictions effective for all the 13 areas until the end of the month.
More stringent steps have been imposed in Tokyo and five other prefectures under a state of emergency.
Under the quasi-state of emergency, dining establishments not serving liquor are requested to close at 8 p.m. When the number of infections indicates a downward trend, serving alcohol may be allowed with a governor’s approval until 7 p.m. at establishments taking anti-virus steps.
Japan’s cumulative total of confirmed coronavirus cases topped 1 million on Friday amid a recent surge that has seen daily cases continue to rewrite all-time highs, reinforcing fears that the medical system could collapse.
The nationwide tally hit a record for the fourth straight day Saturday with 15,753 new infections.
People in their 20s (1,367 cases), their 30s (797), their 40s (682) and their 50s (475) accounted for the highest numbers, while 541 cases were aged under 19.
The number of infected people hospitalized with severe symptoms in Tokyo is 151, up one from Saturday, health officials said. The nationwide figure is 1,138, up 70 from Saturday.
