Months Before The Olympics Begin, COVID-19 State Of Emergency Declared In Tokyo: Reports

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga announced a new state of emergency in response to a resurgence of COVID-19 in Tokyo and three western prefectures, three months before the Olympics are set to begin in Japan's capital city.

What Happened: According to an Associated Press report, the emergency declared for Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto and Hyogo will run from April 25 through May 11, during Japan’s “Golden Week” holiday season which traditionally includes increased levels of travel.

The new state of emergency follows an earlier declaration last month and one in January, and its mandates include the closure of bars, department stores, malls, theme parks, theaters and museums.

Unlike other countries, Japan has not mandated lockdowns during the pandemic and the use of face masks is not mandatory. The country has recorded roughly 500,000 cases of COVID-19 and 10,000 deaths, and its vaccine inoculations did not begin until February.

Less than 1% of the Japanese population has been vaccinated, and the process has been hampered by limited vaccine supplies. Efforts by Japanese pharmaceutical companies to develop their own vaccines have yet to produce results.

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What Happens Next: The Olympics are scheduled to begin July 23, one year after it was postponed as a result of the pandemic; the Paralympics, which features athletes with disabilities in Olympic-style competition, will take place starting August 24.

NBCUniversal, a Comcast Corporation CMCSA subsidiary, secured more than $1.2 billion in advertising commitments for its Olympics presentations prior to the postponement.

According to a Variety report, NBC will be breaking precedent by offering a live morning broadcast of the Olympic opening ceremonies pageantry on July 23, which will be seen in the U.S. starting at 6:55 a.m. EDT. The event will be rebroadcast for its traditional primetime viewing.

In another departure from precedent, the network will center its coverage from an outdoor studio, with sportscaster Mike Tirico anchoring the primetime coverage. NBC is planning to present approximately 7,000 hours of Olympics coverage across its broadcast and streaming platforms.

(Photo: Olympic Games)