Japan extends 5,000-person spectator cap at events until end of September

Aug 25, 2020 | News On Japan

Aug 25, 2020 (Japan Times) - Japan decided Monday to continue limiting the maximum number of spectators at professional sports, concerts and other events to 5,000 until the end of September, although the spread of the novel coronavirus has shown some signs of abating, government officials said Monday.

The government made the decision at a meeting with a panel of health experts, although it had initially planned to impose the restriction until the end of August.

While the number of new cases of the virus in Tokyo reported Monday stood at 95, the lowest single-day figure since early July, the officials said extending the crowd cap was deemed necessary due to the risk of a resurgence, given that some areas of the country have been seeing more infections among older people.

The number of people allowed to gather at venues for big events was increased to a maximum 5,000 on July 10 from the previous 1,000.

Since the government fully lifted a state of emergency in late May, the pace of the spread of the virus, which causes the COVID-19 illness, has accelerated again.

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