A Tokyo citizen wearing a mask. Reuters = Yonhap News
Amid the spread of the new coronavirus infection (Corona 19) in Japan, with 4,717 additional confirmed cases, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) expressed its willingness to enforce the event by discussing the possibility of holding the Tokyo Olympics unattended.
On the 23rd, local public broadcaster NHK announced that the number of corona19 confirmed in Japan has increased by 4,717 as of 8 pm. Accordingly, the cumulative confirmed number increased to 362,445. The number of deaths increased by 83 to a cumulative 5077.
The Japanese government has responded by declaring an emergency situation in 11 regional local governments, but as the spread has not stopped, skepticism about hosting the Tokyo Olympics scheduled for July is growing.
According to Kyodo News, IOC Chairman Thomas Bach said through a video message that day, “Everyone related to the Tokyo Olympics is looking forward to the opening ceremony on July 23,” and “Secure hosting of the Olympics is a top priority. There is nothing that can not be done” Revealed.
“I will decide at the right time for the necessary measures to deal with the infection,” he said. “It also has to do with the crowd. How many people and how many people can you enter?”
In an interview with Kyodo News on the 21st, Chairman Bach, who insisted on the theory of hosting the summit of the Olympics, saying, “There is no reason to believe that the Tokyo Olympics will not start in July,” is also in mind that if the spread does not subside. It is interpreted as.
Earlier, in July of last year, Chairman Bach reacted negatively to the holding of the Tokyo Olympics, saying, “Anyone is definitely not wanting”. However, as the spread of Corona 19 in Japan has recently become serious, it seems that they have changed their attitude to avoid the worst situation of canceling the Olympics.
Reporter Jeong Hye-jeong [email protected]