Tokyo confirmed Sunday that the metropolitan area's daily new COVID-19 cases topped 3,000 for the fifth straight day, with public concern high over a surge in infections while the Olympics are under way in the capital and its governor and her counterparts elsewhere seeking to enforce a lockdown.

The figure of 3,058 came a day after a record 4,058 daily coronavirus cases were reported in the capital, which is currently under a COVID-19 state of emergency through Aug. 31, and as the daily tally reported for the past few days remains high.

The National Governors' Association agreed in a meeting that day to ask the central government to study ways to impose a lockdown, to better contain the virus, particularly concerned about the transmission of the more contagious Delta variant of the virus.

Japan has not imposed a hard lockdown the way many major cities abroad did last year.

The capital has been under the COVID-19 state of emergency, its fourth, since July 12, with restaurants and bars serving alcohol asked to shut during the period, but authorities are still struggling to contain the spread of infections.

The public have been particularly concerned that the Olympics could become a superspreader event. The recent spike in coronavirus cases has further fueled fears of a collapse of the country's medical system.

Tokyo's seven-day rolling average of cases has risen to a record 3,105 per day, surpassing 3,000 for the first time and up 113.6 percent from the previous week.

Sunday's reported tally is a record high for a Sunday, which usually sees fewer cases than weekdays.

Nationwide, new single-day COVID-19 cases surpassed 10,000, a record figure for the fifth straight day.

Japan decided last week to add Osaka and three prefectures near Tokyo -- Chiba, Kanagawa and Saitama -- to areas under the emergency, from Monday through Aug. 31. Okinawa is also under the emergency.

"The Delta variant is an extremely strong enemy. Even though it is summer vacation now, please stay home with your family and take antivirus measures," Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike told reporters, calling on residents not to travel across prefectural borders.

The association issued the same day a proposal urging people to refrain from traveling or returning to hometowns across prefectural borders in principle, or to postpone their travel plans.

Koike also vowed to accelerate the vaccination of people in their 40s and 50s in cooperation with the state and municipalities, as young people are increasingly infected and people in these age brackets have developed severe symptoms compared with the time of previous infection spikes.

On Saturday, Tokyo's COVID-19 tally topped the 4,000 mark for the first time, following three days of being above the 3,000 threshold.

Meanwhile, the governor reiterated her intention to continue the ongoing Tokyo Games without canceling, saying, "We will continue to firmly implement the isolation bubble system" which has been set up at the games athletes' village.


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