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Olympics - Japan looking to extend Tokyo's state of emergency to June 20, minister says

Japan is looking to extend a state of emergency in Tokyo and several other areas by about three weeks to June 20, a cabinet minister said on Friday, as the COVID-19 pandemic shows no signs of easing less than two months before the Summer Olympics open.

FILE PHOTO: The logo of Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games is displayed, in Tokyo
FILE PHOTO: The logo of Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games that have been postponed to 2021 due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, is seen through a traffic sign at Tokyo Metropolitan Government Office building in Tokyo, Japan January 22, 2021. REUTERS/Issei Kato

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TOKYO: Japan is looking to extend a state of emergency in Tokyo and several other areas by about three weeks to June 20, a cabinet minister said on Friday, as the COVID-19 pandemic shows no signs of easing less than two months before the Summer Olympics open.

The state of emergency in the capital and eight other prefectures had been scheduled to end on May 31, but strains on the medical system https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/sports/beset-by-coronavirus-wave-tokyos-doctors-lead-push-against-games-2021-05-26 remain severe. Japan has seen a record number of COVID-19 patients in critical condition in recent days, even as the number of new infections have slowed.

(Reporting by Chang-Ran Kim; Editing by Christopher Cushing)

Source: Reuters