With the continuous rise in infection rates in the Japanese capital, Prime minister Yoshihide Suga announced that Tokyo will under a state of emergency and would be put under a lockdown from July 12 to August 22. With the Olympics games scheduled to start from July 23rd, this will see the event being held behind closed doors.
It was decided that the event’s venues will 50 per cent full allowing 10,000 spectators but that doesn’t seem possible after a lockdown was imposed on the Japanese capital. The IOC (International Olympic Committee) stated that it will comply will the rules given by the government to ensure maximum safety of the athletes competing.
Japan has recorded a total of 14,900 deaths after avoiding strict lockdowns although the government has been slow in its vaccination drive with 15.2 percent of its population fully vaccinated.
Although being fully vaccinated is not necessary for the competing athletes, the government stated that almost 100 percent of the IOC staff members will be vaccinated ahead of the Olympic games, with the lockdown not allowing fans in the venues the Olympic Games will continue to be held indoors.