The governor of Chiba Prefecture said Thursday he has no plan to allocate hospital beds for Olympic athletes infected with the coronavirus, joining a growing chorus of voices calling on those involved in the Tokyo Games to be denied preferential treatment.

Chiba Gov. Toshihito Kumagai said he has asked the organizing committee of this summer's Olympics and Paralympics, to be held largely in neighboring Tokyo, to refrain from being a drain on medical resources in his prefecture amid a resurgence of COVID-19 infections.

Touching on the organizing body's hope to work with about 30 hospitals in the capital and its surrounding areas during the Summer Games, Kumagai told a news conference he is not considering allowing "precious beds for COVID-19 patients in the prefecture" to be occupied by Olympic athletes or those working on the games.