Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike said on Tuesday that the best-case scenario for the postponed 2020 Olympics is to have venues full of spectators.
Despite COVID-19 infections being on the rise in many countries around the world, Olympics organisers remain confident in filling stadiums thanks to the vaccine progress made by pharmaceutical giants Pfizer and Moderna.
Both companies announced the results of late-stage trials for COVID-19 vaccines that show effective rates of 95 percent and 94.5 percent, respectively.
Should their vaccines pass drug regulations, the Covid-19 jabs could be in widespread distribution ahead of the Olympics.
This will not only increase the likelihood of fans being allowed in stadiums but also boost their confidence in attending.
As it stands, the organisers are yet to finalise their decision on whether to allow spectators into venues next year and if so, how many.
Koike, speaking at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan, said organisers were still hopeful venues could be filled with spectators when the Olympics begin in July.
“The best-case scenario … would be when all athletes from all countries come here in safety and with peace of mind and the Olympics can, as in previous years, be held with full spectators present as well,” said Koike.
Organisers have said previously they will not make a decision on spectator numbers until the spring.
Although Japan has largely avoided the huge numbers of COVID-19 infections seen in other countries, daily cases in Tokyo rose to records above 500 last week.
Koike warned that Tokyo was seeing a rise in infections among older residents, including cases where people had contracted the virus while eating out and brought it home to elderly relatives, dailymaik reports.
She is due to meet with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga later on Tuesday to discuss a domestic travel promotion campaign introduced by the government earlier this year to try to stimulate local economies hit by the near-complete absence of foreign tourism amid the pandemic.
