Olympic Spectators Banned In Tokyo, Nearby Prefs.
Japan's minister for the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games has announced that no spectators will be allowed at Olympic venues in Tokyo and the three surrounding prefectures of Saitama, Chiba and Kanagawa.
Marukawa Tamayo spoke to reporters on Thursday after a five-party meeting between the Japanese government, the games' organizing committee, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and the International Olympic and Paralympic committees.
Marukawa said the decision comes after the Japanese government decided earlier in the day to declare a coronavirus state of emergency in Tokyo.
The state of emergency will take effect on Monday and continues through the Olympics before ending on August 22.
The government also decided to extend targeted anti-infection measures for the three surrounding prefectures for the same period.
The minister said spectator numbers at Olympic venues in Miyagi, Fukushima and Shizuoka prefectures will be capped at 10,000, or 50 percent of seating capacity, whichever is lower. She said this is in line with the agreement reached at a five-party meeting on June 21.
Marukawa said an Olympic venue in Ibaraki Prefecture will accept only schoolchildren to whom tickets are allocated under a preferential system.
She added that further discussions will be held on what to do about spectators at Olympic venues in Hokkaido Prefecture.