The number of Tokyo's confirmed new coronavirus cases in July topped 5,000 on Monday, accounting for around 45 percent of its cumulative total after the metropolitan government reported another 131 infections.
The single-day figure, compared with 239 on Sunday, slipped below the 200-mark for the first time in seven days. But the pace of new infections is faster than ever this month, bringing the capital's cumulative total to 11,345, making up about a third of that for the entire country.
Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike had urged Tokyo residents to avoid nonessential outings during a four-day holiday through Sunday. But the capital has seen single-day new infections in the triple digits on all but two days of July, with Thursday's 366 a record high.