ToplineJapan's government will expand its Covid-19 emergency on Friday, adding Osaka and three more prefectures close to Tokyo. This comes as the country experiences record levels of daily new infections that are straining the country's medical system and casting doubt on the ongoing Summer Olympics.Japan is poised to increase its emergency status as Covid-19 cases continue to rise. Getty ImagesThe Key FactsAccording to Kyodo News the current state of emergency in Tokyo, which was supposed to end on August 22, will be extended to August 31, according to Kyodo News. Along with Osaka, Tokyo's neighbouring prefectures of Chiba and Kanagawa will be placed in a state emergency. Prime Minister Yoshihide Sug will make the formal announcement later Friday. The measures will take effect Monday. Restaurants and bars that serve alcohol will be closed under the emergency and will receive compensation from the government for their compliance. This comes after Japan reported more that 10,000 cases per day on Thursday. Tokyo also reported a record 3,853 infections.Big Number34%. This is the Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga's approval rating in the latest survey by Nikkei/TV Tokyo. This is a dramatic 9 percent drop in rating since June, indicating public dissatisfaction with the government's decision to push forward with the Olympic Games despite rising Covid cases across Japan.TangentOn Friday, organizers of the Tokyo Games revealed 27 new Covid-19 cases that were linked to the Olympics. Since the beginning of the month, 220 Olympic-related Covid-19 instances have been reported. Friday's case count included three athletes, two of whom resided in the Games village. 18 Japanese citizens are also included in the new cases. Visitors who are positive for Covid-19 must isolate for 14 days. This effectively prohibits them from taking part in the games.Important BackgroundJapan, which has previously been able to avoid large outbreaks of the virus, is now trying to contain an epidemic of new infections that are largely caused by the contagious delta variant. Japan's strategy to defeat the virus is not to impose strict lockdowns or stay-at-home orders but instead to impose a state emergency in the affected areas. Most businesses are not required to close down, and the mitigation measures are voluntary. However, the recurring emergency orders over the last few months have left people tired and some bars refuse to comply with service restrictions. Reuters reports. Although the organizers have resisted these suggestions, the increase in cases has raised concerns about the effect of the ongoing Olympic Games. The International Olympic Committee (IOC), insisted on Thursday that the games had nothing to do with the exploding number of cases in Japan.Continue readingJapan will increase COVID emergency to four prefectures in response to virus surge (Kyodo News).Japan will increase its state of emergency, as COVID-19 shadows OlympicsLive updates and coverage of the Coronavirus
