TOKYO (AP) — Fans are likely to be banned from the Tokyo Olympics following a state of emergency on Thursday aimed at containing rising COVID-19 infections in the capital.
The extent of the ban, which comes just two weeks before the pandemic-postponed Olympics open, will be announced later on Thursday by the International Olympic Committee and Japanese organizers.
Fans from aboard were banned several months ago, and these new measures announced by Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga could clear venues — indoor and outdoor — of any fans at all.
This emergency declaration made for a rude arrival in Japan for IOC President Thomas Bach, who landed in Tokyo on Thursday just hours before the new measures were announced. He is to spend three days in self-isolation at the five-star hotel that lodges IOC members.
