TOKYO • Japanese medical experts yesterday said that banning fans at the Olympics was the least risky option for holding the Games, even as they appeared resigned to the possibility of spectators in venues amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Japanese government and Tokyo 2020 organisers have for months held off deciding whether domestic spectators will be allowed - overseas fans are already banned - underscoring their desire to salvage the event amid deep public opposition.
While Japan's coronavirus cases are fewer than any other G-7 country, the drive to hold the Games has been criticised by hospitals and doctors' unions and the point was again made by a panel of experts, led by Japan's top medical adviser, Dr Shigeru Omi, yesterday.
"There is a risk the movement of people and opportunities to interact during the Olympics will spread infections and strain the medical system," they said.
While holding the Games without spectators was the "least risky" and the most desirable option, the possibility remains that venues can hold up to 10,000 fans in areas where "quasi-emergency" measures, such as shorter restaurant hours, have been lifted.
That has heightened the perception the Games may well be held with spectators.
The final decision is expected at a meeting on Monday between the organisers, including Tokyo 2020 and the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and representatives from the national and Tokyo metropolitan governments.
Ms Seiko Hashimoto, president of the Tokyo 2020 organising committee, yesterday said that while she accepted that the Olympics would be safer without spectators, the organisers were still looking for ways to have fans safely in venues, like for other events.
"Given that other sports events like J-League and professional baseball are being held with spectators... it's also Tokyo 2020's job to continue to look for ways to understand and lessen the risk of infections at the Olympics until we've exhausted all the possibilities," she said.
While the overriding negative public sentiment has waned - according to a poll done by Jiji Press yesterday, some 41 per cent want the Games axed - 64 per cent want them to be held without fans.
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga's government decided on Thursday to end state of emergency Covid-19 curbs in nine prefectures, including Tokyo, this weekend but some "quasi-emergency" measures will be maintained in Tokyo until July 11.
Should there again be a spike in cases - as when the previous two state of emergencies were lifted - then organisers should be prepared to swiftly ban spectators or declare another state of emergency if needed, the experts said.
If spectators are allowed, rules should be strict, such as limiting fans to local residents, they added.
Dr Omi, a World Health Organisation board member, has become increasingly outspoken about the risks from the event, having told parliament earlier this month it was "not normal" to hold the Games during a pandemic.
Other Japanese health experts and medical organisations have more vocal, calling for the Games to be cancelled outright.
One of the signatories of Dr Omi's recommendations, Kyoto University professor Hiroshi Nishiura, said he believed scrapping the Games would be the best decision, but the decision was for the government and organisers.
"If the epidemic situation worsened, no spectators and cancelling the Games in the middle (of the event) should be debated," he said.
REUTERS
