In just over two months, the opening ceremony for the already delayed Olympics Games will begin. But a group of Japanese doctors are calling for the Olympics in Tokyo to be canceled as Japan attempts to stem another spike in coronavirus infections.
The Tokyo Medical Practitioners Association, which represents about 6,000 primary care doctors, released an open letter to Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga saying hospitals “have their hands full” and that there’s no capacity available to handle the potential outbreak an international event could create.
The association fears that the thousands of visitors to the country — between athletes, coaches and media — could overwhelm an already taxed medical system.
“We strongly request that the authorities convince the [International Olympic Committee] that holding the Olympics is difficult and obtain its decision to cancel the Games,” the association said in the letter posted to its website Monday.
The Olympics were postponed a year because of the coronavirus pandemic, but there have been fresh calls for the competition to be pushed back further or canceled altogether as the world still grapples with the illness.
Suga, the Japanese prime minister, has insisted that Japan can host “a safe and secure Olympics” as the country follows proper containment protocols. There won’t be foreign spectators.
Japan, though, has extended its third state of emergency in Tokyo and other areas of the country until May 31. Plus, 3.5% of Japan’s 126 million population has been vaccinated, according to Reuters. Should the Olympics contribute to a rise in cases or deaths, “Japan will bear the maximum responsibility,” the Tokyo Medical Practitioners Association’s letter read.
The Japanese population has largely soured on the idea of holding the Olympics as scheduled. In a poll last week by The Asahi Shimbun newspaper, 83% of respondents supported another postponement or an altogether cancelation of the games.
Last week, a petition with over 350,000 signatures calling for the cancelation of the Olympics was also submitted to authorities. The Olympics are scheduled to run from July 23 to Aug. 8.
According to data from Johns Hopkins University, Japan experienced 3,738 new coronavirus cases and 116 deaths in the past day. The record surge in cases came on April 29 with 7,914 cases in a day. The country has had 688,873 confirmed cases overall, with 11,587 deaths.
• Andy Kostka can be reached at akostka@washingtontimes.com.
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