Coronavirus: Japan PM Shinzo Abe wants big events canned or scaled back due to outbreak
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Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told reporters that Japan was doing all it could to curtail the spread of the virus that has infected more than 80,000 people.
PHOTO: REUTERS
TOKYO (BLOOMBERG) - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called for major sporting and cultural events to be called off, postponed or scaled down over the next two weeks, saying the move was crucial in preventing the domestic spread of the coronavirus.
Mr Abe told reporters Wednesday (Feb 26) that Japan was doing all it could to curtail the spread of the virus that has infected more than 80,000 people - the bulk of whom are in China. He introduced a new government plan on Tuesday to control the disease that called on employers to encourage teleworking and stagger working hours in an attempt to slow the spread of the deadly disease.
One major concern facing Mr Abe has been whether the virus will derail Tokyo's plans to host the Summer Olympics later this year. Japanese and Olympic officials have said there is no change to holding the games as planned, but there is a lot at stake for Mr Abe. Tokyo has been preparing for the games for about seven years, spending more than US$26 billion (S$36.4 billon) to ready the city, according to some estimates.
"Given the importance of the next week or two in stopping the virus from spreading, and the large-scale infection risks of sports and cultural events where many people gather, the government asks that these events be cancelled, postponed or minimised for the next two weeks," Mr Abe told reporters.
Japan's main professional rugby league, responded to Mr Abe's request by saying on Wednesday that it would postpone 16 matches. A day earlier, J-League said it would postpone all matches in the country's main professional soccer league until March 15 due to the virus. Organisers of the Tokyo Marathon said last week they would ban about 38,000 non-professional runners from the race set for March 1 due to worries about the virus.
Concerts by some of the country's biggest pop acts have been scrapped after one infected person was found to have attended a gig.
Tokyo is considering bringing forward the start of spring holidays for metropolitan government-run high schools, and the national government has approved shutting daycare centres in areas with multiple cases, local media reported.
