TOKYO (REUTERS) – The president of the Tokyo 2020 organising committee, Seiko Hashimoto, said in an interview she was considering adopting a cap of 10,000 spectators for the city’s Olympic stadiums, the Sankei newspaper reported on Thursday (June 17) evening.
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s government has decided to ease emergency coronavirus curbs in nine prefectures including Tokyo, but there are lingering public concerns that next month’s Olympics could trigger a surge in infections.
The final decision will be made at a meeting to be held as early as Monday among Tokyo 2020 organisers, the International Olympic Committee, International Paralympic Committee, Japanese government and Tokyo Metropolitan government, the newspaper said.
“I would like it to be held with spectators. I plan to head into the five-way meeting with that in mind,” the newspaper quoted Hashimoto as saying.
Health experts including top medical adviser Shigeru Omi agreed on Wednesday the number of spectators at domestic events could be raised to 10,000, but only in areas where “quasi-emergency” measures have been lifted.
Tokyo is scheduled to be under the “quasi-emergency” until July 11 after the state of emergency expires for the capital on June 20. The Olympics begin on July 23.
Join ST’s Telegram channel here and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Source: Read Full Article