INTERNATIONAL Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach arrived in Tokyo today and was welcomed with the news that a ban on spectators at the Tokyo Olympics is likely.

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga announced a state of emergency because of rising coronavirus infections in the capital, saying that it would go into effect on Monday and last through August 22. This means the Olympics, opening on July 23 and running through August 8, will be held entirely under emergency measures. The Paralympics open on August 24.

“Taking into consideration the impact of the delta strain, and in order to prevent the resurgence of infections from spreading across the country, we need to step up virus prevention measures,” Suga said in announcing the emergency measures.

Bach largely avoided cameras at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport and, on a rainy afternoon, went to the IOC’s Games headquarters in Tokyo, a five-star hotel in the centre of the city. He is reported to need to self-isolate for three days.

Bach’s arrival comes just two weeks before the postponed Tokyo Games are to open. The IOC and local organisers are attempting to hold the games during a pandemic despite opposition from the Japanese public and medical community.

The main focus of the emergency is a request for bars, restaurants and karaoke parlours serving alcohol to close. A ban on serving alcohol is a key step to tone down Olympic-related festivities and keep people from drinking and partying. Tokyo residents are expected to face stay-home requests and watch the games on TV from home.

“How to stop people enjoying the Olympics from going out for drinks is a main issue,” Health Minister Norihisa Tamura said.

The present state of emergency ends on Sunday. Tokyo reported 896 new cases today, up from 673 a week earlier. It’s the 19th straight day that cases have topped the mark set seven days prior. New cases on Wednesday hit 920, the highest total since 1,010 were reported on May 13.

Separately, a government Covid-19 advisory panel met on Wednesday and expressed concerns about the ongoing resurgence of the infections.

“Two-thirds of the infections in the capital region are from Tokyo, and our concern is the spread of the infections to neighbouring areas,” said Ryuji Wakita, director-general of the National Institute of Infectious Diseases.