With new cases on a two-month high and just over 25 percent of the population having received their first dose of the vaccination, Japan was forced to declare their fourth state of emergency due to COVID-19 in Tokyo on Thursday, 8 July.
The emergency will start on Monday, 12 July, and continue for over a month and half, till 22 August, which means it will also cover the entire duration of the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
First Fallout: No Fans in Tokyo
Having closed the Olympics to all foreign fans earlier, Tokyo had sold tickets just to locals for the big event but now, following the Government of Japan’s announcement on Thursday, the Tokyo Olympics announced that they were closing the doors to all fans.
Five parties including the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government (TMG), and the GoJ made the collective decision, but also left the door open for a future review of…