Japan PM Suga says Olympics not behind country's recent coronavirus spike, urges caution

Even as Tokyo continues to register a record number of coronavirus cases, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, on Friday, said that the Olympics were not the reason for the massive spike.  

Health authorities recorded 5,042 new coronavirus cases in the Japanese capital on August 5, the highest ever since the start of the pandemic. In another first, daily cases in the country crossed the 10,000 mark. Some legislators and government critics have balmed the Tokyo Olympics 2021 for the rapid increase in COVID-19 cases in the country. PM Suga, however, on Friday, rejected any connection between the Olympic games and the increasing number of infections. 

"Since we have imposed virus-curbing measures, such as cutting the flow of people (in public) and stricter border controls to prevent the spread of the virus by foreign visitors, I think there is none," Japan’s Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga told a presser.

As a preventive measure, the Japanese Prime Minister appealed to citizens to watch the Olympic games from the comfort of their homes and requested them to restrict all non-essential movement. The Tokyo Olympics 2021 is being held without in-person Japanese spectators. 

Prefectures request stricter measures

PM Suga's remarks follow the government's declaration of a state of emergency across four more prefectures, namely Chiba, Kanagawa, Saitama, and Osaka.

The prefectures of Chiba, Kanagawa, and Saitama have requested the Yoshihide Suga-administration to enforce stricter measures in view of the rising COVID-19 numbers. In this year's Olympic games, as many as twenty-four people have been tested positive for the 2019 coronavirus. Several players have been put off games and taken to government-sponsored hotels to be quarantined. According to local media reports, at least 193 people linked to the Olympic games, including 20 athletes, have tested positive and have been placed in isolation.

“It's [Olympics] so far had little or no impact,” Suga told Japanese reporters, adding that the rapid surge in cases “can be attributed to an increased movement of people due to a four-day holiday weekend, the Olympics and Paralympics, and summer vacations.” Furthermore, he continued, “We must keep in mind that the number will increase. It is time to introduce tighter restrictions."