Tokyo tightens COVID measures 100-plus days before Olympics

Olympic Rings are seen near the National Stadium, the main venue for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, in Tokyo. Pic/AFP

Japan's government approved tighter coronavirus measures for the capital and other areas on Friday, weeks after lifting a state of emergency and with just over 100 days until the postponed Tokyo Olympics.

The new restrictions are far less severe than the blanket lockdowns seen in other countries and mainly call for restaurants and bars to close at 8 pm, with the threat of fines for those that do not.

They are already in force in virus hotspots including Osaka city, where a rebound in cases has forced the Olympic torch relay off public roads. The pandemic-delayed 2020 Games are due to open on July 23 in Tokyo, but a surge in cases in parts of the country is creating new concern.

"Today, we decided to take intensive measures to prevent an epidemic in Tokyo, Kyoto and Okinawa," Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga told a meeting.

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