Paralympics Ban Domestic Spectators as Japan Extends 4th State of Emergency

Ever since the pandemic started, Japan like every other country has been trying its best to contain the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Yet, the country has seen too many ups and downs in the cases, and currently, the situation is still dire. 

Japan is going through its fourth state of emergency, and the government is looking to extend it even further as cases have been on a constant rise. With responsibilities like the Olympics and Paralympics on its shoulders, the country cannot afford any miscalculations. 

According to The Mainichi Shimbun’s report, the Japanese government will soon announce that the fourth state of emergency will be extended to 12th September. Initially, the fourth state of emergency was supposed to end on 31st August.

The six prefectures already under the declaration, Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama, Chiba, Osaka, and Okinawa, will be joined by seven more regions. Kyoto, Hyogo, Fukuoka, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Gunma, and Shizuoka will be added to the plans as well.

The Olympics event has passed without any significant problems, but the same cannot be said about the Paralympics due to increased restrictions.

The Paralympics event is scheduled to take place from 24th August to 5th September 2021, and the organizers have decided that not even domestic spectators will be allowed in the venues. 

Even the Olympics were held with no spectators, thus this announcement comes as no surprise.

Both the Olympics and Paralympics are events whose value comes out from the fact that they lead to international solidarity. Thus this ban on spectators will no doubt leave some sports enthusiasts hungry. 

Yet, we must understand the current position of not only Japan but also the whole world as the pandemic is not yet over. 

There were 2,962 new cases in Japan this Monday, which is 78 higher than the last Monday. Amongst these, 268 people are in serious condition. 

From this number alone, you must already know how dire the condition is. We can only hope that Japan recovers as much as possible in the upcoming days. 

Source: The Mainichi Shimbun