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 endorsed the policy at a meeting with a panel of health experts, citing the risk of a resurgence and the continued strain on the country's medical facilities.

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 beyond the end of August was deemed necessary as the government could not conclude that new infections were on a downward trend.