Tokyo venues for the summer Olympics will not have spectators, officials said after Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga confirmed the pandemic-delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympics will take place under a coronavirus state of emergency.
Here's what else we know:
- Pandemic struggles: The decision to ban spectators comes as Japan lags behind Western countries in rolling out vaccines. Only 15% of its population are fully vaccinated, compared to 47% in the United States and nearly 50% in the UK, according to CNN's global vaccine tracker. Japan has recorded at least 814,315 cases and 14,865 deaths due to coronavirus since the beginning of the pandemic as of Thursday, according to CNN's global cases and deaths tracker.
- Paralympic Games: Olympic and Tokyo officials say that if the rate of infections changes, they will hold a meeting to review spectator capacity for the Paralympic Games. The group is made up of the government of Japan, the International Olympic Committee, the International Paralympic Committee, the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government.
- White House lends its support: The White House reaffirmed its support for US athletes traveling to Tokyo, Japan, to compete in the Olympics later this month after Japan's Olympics Committee announced all spectators will be banned from the Tokyo venues at the 2020 Olympic Games. “The President supports the Tokyo Olympic Games and the public health measures necessary to protect athletes, staff, and spectators. He has pride in the US athletes who have trained for Tokyo Games and will be competing in the best traditions of the Olympic spirit,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters Thursday.