TOKYO (BLOOMBERG) - Tokyo reported 102 new coronavirus cases on Monday (July 6), NHK reported, marking the fifth consecutive day of more than 100 infections as the city tries to fend off an outbreak without resorting to widespread business shutdowns.
The latest figure comes as Governor Yuriko Koike was elected to a second term in a landslide victory. After declaring her win on Sunday (July 5), she said now is a crucial time to prepare for a second wave as cases jump to the highest levels in two months.
Ms Koike said she wants to avoid a broad request to shut down businesses, and instead take a more targeted approach focusing on certain industries and specific areas. Night-time entertainment establishments like host clubs have been tied to the rise in cases, and she has asked residents to refrain from going to such districts.
Mr Yasutoshi Nishimura, the minister in charge of Japan's coronavirus response, has also called for greater cooperation from businesses, saying that nobody wants to ask for more closures and that the government isn't considering declaring another state of emergency at this time.
Tokyo's situation is drawing attention as health experts watch renewed outbreaks in regions around the globe that had previously gained control over coronavirus cases. As countries try to reopen their economies, these flare-ups are revealing just how hard it will be to eradicate Covid-19 without a vaccine.
Australia's two most-populous states are closing their shared border, while one of them, Victoria, has locked down 12 areas of Melbourne after the worst spike in cases since the crisis began. South Korea has wrestled with repeated outbreaks, including ones tied to nightclubs, and Beijing is just getting past a cluster of cases related to a wholesale market.
Japanese officials have insisted that circumstances are different this time around, with most of the new cases found in younger people who tend not to require hospitalisation.
Tokyo released new monitoring criteria last week that will place a greater emphasis on the state of the medical system. Only 16.6 per cent of 4,800 beds in the city dedicated to coronavirus patients are currently occupied.
