Spectators Have Just Been Banned From the Olympic Games in Tokyo, Two Weeks Before It Starts

The announcement is yet another setback for the Olympic Games, which were already postponed for an entire year due to the pandemic. Japan is struggling to rein in COVID-19 cases and doesn’t want Tokyo to be a vector for the new Delta variant, Reuters reported. While new cases are down from a peak in May, the country is still experiencing 1,500 new cases a day and only 15 percent of the population has been fully vaccinated.

Japan officials are worried about the arrival of 11,000 athletes, along with thousands of support staff, journalists, and others needed to pull off the Olympic Games, which will last 16 days and hold 300 events across dozens of locations in and near Tokyo — including five sports that are new to the Summer Olympics, among them surfing and skateboarding.

Already, Japan had barred all foreign spectators from the Olympic Games, as well as banning alcohol from the venues. Spectators will be asked not to line up on streets to watch events like the Olympic triathlon, Reuters reported. However, a limited number of spectators will be allowed at venues outside the Tokyo metropolitan area.