Rising numbers of coronavirus cases in Hokkaido could further impact the already troubled Tokyo Olympics, with the mayor of Sapporo — host of men’s and women’s Olympic soccer matches, and marathon and racewalking events — calling for the central government to once again take action and new local restrictions coming into effect in the city on Thursday.
Sapporo’s new restrictions are voluntary and are due to expire on Aug. 22. However, new cases over the past week have now exceeded 25 per 100,000 residents, meeting the criteria for the central government's highest alert stage, Stage Four, where a state of emergency could be declared.
“We’re seeing more than 70 or 80 new infections a day, and it’s expected the situation with available hospital beds in the city will become increasingly severe,” Sapporo Mayor Katsuhiro Akimoto said Wednesday. “We have decided to ask the national government to take urgent measures in order to prevent the spread of the virus. Until this decision is made, we will continue to take our own strong measures.”