The measures of the Olympic Games against covid-19 2:17
Tokyo (CNN) -
The Tokyo Olympics will take place during a coronavirus state of emergency, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshide Suga confirmed on Thursday.
Speaking at the beginning of the government's covid-19 working group meeting, Suga said that he had decided to declare a new state of emergency for Japan's capital, from July 12 to August 22, which includes the 16 days that the Games last.
"The number of infected cases in the area, including Tokyo, has increased since the end of last month," Suga said.
"The number of severe cases and the bed occupancy rate remains low, but considering the impact of the variants, we need to improve countermeasures so that the infection does not spread throughout the country."
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Suga added that the ban on serving alcohol in restaurants will continue during the state of emergency.
The decision comes after national media reported that the general public would be excluded from the opening ceremony within two weeks.
Tokyo reported 920 new infections on Wednesday, the highest number of daily cases since mid-May.
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"There is a notable increase in infections, especially in the big cities of the Tokyo area," said Yasutoshi Nishimura, the minister in charge of the pandemic response in the country.
The more infectious delta variant now accounts for up to 30% of cases, he added.
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The state of emergency, the fourth for Japan's capital since the pandemic began, will cover the entire period of the Olympics, which are scheduled from July 23 to August 8.
This has raised doubts as to whether local spectators will be allowed to attend the Games.
The organizers had already decided to ban foreign fans from the stands in March.
Prime Minister Suga previously said that events could be held without spectators if a state of emergency was imposed during the Games.
CNN has reached out to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Committee for comment.
Last month, organizers said spectators would be allowed at the Games, with a limit of 10,000 people per venue or 50% of the venue's capacity.
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But Nishimura said Thursday that under the state of emergency, venues in Tokyo and Okinawa will be limited to 5,000 people or 50% of their capacity, with no spectators allowed at events ending after 9 p.m.
Japanese media Asahi Shimbun and Kyodo News reported that for the opening ceremony of the Games, scheduled for July 23 and which will last after 9:00 pm, only "special guests" will be admitted.
These include members of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), sponsors of the Games and foreign dignitaries, according to reports.
It is unclear if spectators will be able to attend the rest of the Games or if the number of attendees will be restricted to 5,000.
An official decision is expected to be made at a meeting between the Tokyo government, the national government, the Tokyo 2020 organizers and the IOC and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC).
IOC President Thomas Bach landed in Tokyo on Thursday morning and is observing a three-day self-isolation at his hotel.
The potential spectator ban will not only be a huge disappointment for Japanese fans, but for some athletes as well.
Sports climber Akiyo Noguchi said she gains momentum by performing in front of a large crowd, and achieving that motivation and energy will be more difficult without the applause in the stands.
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"I feel very sad. I wanted to be in the Olympics because I wanted to show my best performance in front of my family and fans, but this will not be as I had imagined," he told CNN previously.
Tokyo lifted its previous round of state of emergency on June 20, at the end of the country's fourth wave of infections.
The city has continued to impose restrictions under a softer "near-emergency", such as an 8 pm curfew on dinner service at restaurants.
But cases have risen again, prompting health experts to call for stricter measures.
Japan has lagged behind Western countries in rolling out its vaccination campaign.
Only 15% of its population is fully vaccinated, compared to 47% in the United States and nearly 50% in the United Kingdom, according to CNN's Global Vaccine Tracker.
CNN's Selina Wang contributed to the report.
State of emergency
