Japan's government on Thursday imposed a state of emergency in capital Tokyothroughout the duration of the Olympics amid surging coronavirus cases in the country.
"We will impose the state of emergency in Tokyo," Japan's Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said, adding, "The period will be until August 22."
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The Tokyo Olympics starts on July 23 and is set to end on August 8 with at least 11,000 athletes from around 200 countries set to take part in the sporting extravaganza.
The Japanese capital recorded 896 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday even as authorities begin the final lap to host the mega sporting event.
"In areas under the state of emergency, we will continue with the measures we have been undertaking and will uniformly suspend the serving of alcoholic beverages at restaurants," Suga added.
The emergency measures come as local media reports said Olympic organizers are set to ban spectators for the event. Reports say people have been asked to avoid the route when the marathon even takes place in northern Hokkaido.
The Olympic torch relay event has already been scrapped by organizers amid the pandemic in Tokyo.
The Japanese prime minister assured citizens that the emergency measures could be lifted if the effect of the vaccine is visible and demand for hospital beds go down.
Authorities say the Delta variant now accounts for 30 per cent of cases in Tokyo and may rise further.
Under the new restrictions, alcohol will be banned at bars and restaurants and it will be ordered to close by 8pm.
Tokyo 2020 Olympics has already been delayed by year with the sporting event due to take place last year but was postponed last year as the pandemic took hold worldwide.
In polls conducted across the country, most Japanese wanted the event to be postponed further, however, the mood has changed somewhat in recent weeks.
Japan has recorded 810,000 COVID-19 cases with 14,900 fatalities so far with health authorities fearful that cases could rise during the Olympics as thousands of athletes, organizers and fans gather for the event.
(With inputs from Agencies)