Here are the latest updates from Japan and beyond on the coronavirus outbreak:
A man receives a vaccine against the coronavirus at Vantelin Dome Nagoya, home of the Chunichi Dragons baseball club, in Nagoya, central Japan, on July 5, 2021. The stadium will be used as a mass vaccination center in the daytime until Sept. 30. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
As of 11 p.m., Tuesday, July 6
- Yoshiro Mori, the former head of Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics organizing committee, said Tuesday that holding the games behind closed doors has been an option since the one-year postponement was decided in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- The Japanese government said Tuesday it will tighten border controls for travelers from some countries including Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan and Zambia to prevent the spread of highly contagious new variants of the coronavirus.
- The Tokyo metropolitan government said Tuesday it will take the Olympic torch relay off public roads also in the second half of the 15-day leg passing through central districts of the capital due to a resurgence of coronavirus infections.
- The Tokyo metropolitan government reported 593 new coronavirus cases Tuesday, exceeding the number logged a week earlier for the 17th straight day, amid a rebound of infections with just over two weeks to go until the start of the Olympics.
- Japan will provide Taiwan with some 1.13 million more doses of the AstraZeneca Plc coronavirus vaccine later this week, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said Tuesday.
- The athletes villages for the Tokyo Games will be starkly different from usual, with athletes required to effectively live in an isolated bubble from which they will have to adhere to strict anti-coronavirus regulations.
As of 11 p.m., Monday, July 5
- Malaysia's embattled Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin announced Monday that parliament, which has been suspended since January when the country was placed under emergency rules to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, will reconvene from July 26.
- The Tokyo metropolitan government is moving toward taking the Olympic torch relay off public roads also in the second half of the 15-day leg in the capital, due to a surge in coronavirus infections, an official familiar with the planning said Monday.
- The Tokyo metropolitan government reported on Monday 342 new coronavirus cases, exceeding the number logged a week earlier for the 16th straight day, with less than three weeks to go before the Olympics.
- The Tokyo Olympic organizing committee said Monday it will push back the release of the results of a fresh ticket lottery to Saturday, as the capital continues to grapple with a surge of coronavirus infections and the likelihood is high that the number of spectators to be allowed at each venue will be reduced.
- President Joe Biden on Sunday said the United States is getting closer to overcoming the coronavirus pandemic as the country marked Independence Day, although vaccinations fell just short of a goal set by his administration.
Japan and beyond: Week in Photos - June 26~July 2
An alternative event for the Tokyo Olympic torch relay is held in the Chiba Prefecture city of Matsudo, eastern Japan, on July 3, 2021, after the relay was taken off public roads due to the coronavirus pandemic. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
Useful resources for foreign residents and visitors in Japan
- Tokyo Metropolitan Government's "Tokyo Coronavirus Support Center for Foreign Residents (TOCOS)" multilingual hotline
- Available in Simple Japanese, English, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Nepali, Indonesian, Tagalog, Thai, Portuguese, Spanish, French, Khmer, and Burmese, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays except national holidays.
0120-296-004 (toll free)
https://www.seikatubunka.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/chiiki_tabunka/tabunka/tabunkasuishin/0000001452.html - AMDA Medical Information Center's "Multilingual Consultation Service"
- Available in Simple Japanese and English, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays. Also available in Chinese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, Tagalog, Thai, and Vietnamese on designated weekdays. Check schedule here.
03-6233-9266 - Tokyo Metropolitan Government's COVID-19 info
https://stopcovid19.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/en/ - Tokyo Metropolitan Government hotline
https://stopcovid19.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/en/contacts
- Available in English, Chinese, Korean and Japanese, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. (including weekends and holidays)
0570-550571
- Available via fax for those with hearing impairments
03-5388-1396 - Japan National Tourism Organization's "Guide for when you are feeling ill"
- Multilingual clinic/hospital search available in English, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Japanese
https://www.jnto.go.jp/emergency/eng/mi_guide.html - JNTO's "Japan Visitor Hotline"
https://www.japan.travel/en/plan/hotline/
- Available in English, Chinese, Korean and Japanese 24 hours a day
050-3816-2787
+81-50-3816-2787 (from overseas) - Japan's health ministry hotline
- Available in Japanese only, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
0120-565653 - World Health Organization's "Q&A on coronaviruses"
https://www.who.int/news-room/q-a-detail/q-a-coronaviruses
