Tokyo rallies for immediate Olympics suspension as COVID-19 surge

Citizens of Tokyo on Thursday held a rally demanding the immediate suspension of Olympic Games as COVID-19 infections surge to a record high.

Tokyo authorities announced earlier that the number of daily new COVID-19 cases exceeded 5,000, hitting the record since the pandemic outbreak.

Countrywide, cases are also on the rise. On Thursday, Japan set a new record of over 15,000 daily COVID-19 infections, breaking the previous record of 14,200 cases that was registered only a day earlier.

Protesters, holding loudspeakers and self-made posters, gathered next to the Olympic stadium, urging the authorities to stop the competitions immediately.

For the first time since the Olympics kicked off on July 23, the Japanese police had to contain protesters by sealing off area in front of stadium entrance and not letting in people without athletic accreditation.

Due to the surge in COVID-19 cases, the Japanese government introduced a regime of enhanced anti-coronavirus measures in Hokkaido, Ishikawa, Hyogo, Kyoto and Fukuoka for the period between Aug. 2-31, and also declared a state of emergency in Saitama, Chiba, Kanagawa and Osaka.