Japan is extending a state of emergency in Tokyo and expanding it to new regions as the Olympic Games host faces a surge in Covid-19 cases.
The restrictions are being imposed in areas surrounding the capital as well as in the city of Osaka.
Japan has had some success fighting Covid-19 but is now seeing record cases fuelled by the virulent Delta strain.
Daily cases nationwide topped 10,000 for the first time on Thursday, more than a third of them in the capital.
Tokyo – where the Olympics are mainly taking place – has seen three straight days of record cases, even though it is already under a state of emergency. More than 60% of the city’s hospital beds available for serious cases have been filled.
Olympic organisers reported 27 new cases at the Games on Friday, bringing the total since the start of July to more than 200. But with strict rules in place, including a ban on spectators, organisers deny the event is driving the rise in cases.
Despite this, some experts worry that holding the Olympics in such circumstances sends a confusing message to the public about the need to limit daily life.
Japan’s Health Minister, Norihisa Tamura warned that the country had entered a new, “extremely frightening”, stage of the pandemic.
“I think that people cannot see ahead and, worrying how long this situation will last, they find it unbearable that they cannot return to normal daily life,” Reuters quoted him as saying.
Under the state of emergency, bars and restaurants must stop serving alcohol and close early.
But the impact of such measures are limited, as residents are only advised, not forced, to work from home and avoid the office.
Tokyo’s Governor Yuriko Koike has said the key to controlling the outbreak is young people, urging them to get vaccinated and limit their movements, but the BBC’s Mariko Oi says this is a little unfair given the low availability of jabs.
Less than 30% of the population has been fully vaccinated, with officials aiming to vaccinate all those who want a dose by October or November.
Speaking to the BBC, some young Japanese people were sceptical about whether the new measures would work.
“I can sense that we are getting too used to the state of emergency, so it’s not stopping people from going out,” said one.
“If the government really wants to stop the spread of the virus, they have to lock us down and offer financial support,” said another.
BBC
