Japan is set to declare a new state of emergency over growing Covid cases just 91 days from the start of the revised Olympic Games.
Its latest series of Covid measures are aimed at Tokyo, Osaka and three other prefectures after a spike in cases in the capital.
The measures are expected to be announced by Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga later on Friday and begin on Sunday lasting until at least May 11.
It means bars and restaurants will close while sporting events will now be held behind closed doors for the coming weeks.
Tokyo had 861 new infections on Thursday – its highest since January – leading Yasutoshi Nishimura, the minister in charge of tackling the virus, to declare, “We have a strong sense of crisis”.
He said: “We absolutely have to limit the movement of people, and we have to do it decisively. We need powerful, short and focused measures.”
In addition, just 1.5million people have had one vaccine dose while 800,000 have been fully vaccinated.
IOC president Thomas Bach is due in Japan next month and remains adamant that the Games, delayed a year already, will go ahead as planned this summer.
