Tokyo Olympics bans fans as Japan declares state of emergency originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
With the Opening Ceremony just around the corner, it has been decided that the 2020 Tokyo Olympics will take place without spectators.
This is just the latest bump in the road for the Tokyo Olympics, as the Games were already delayed a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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It was previously decided that foreign spectators would be excluded from attending the Olympics, but Thursday's decision came as Japan declared a new state of emergency in the host city. Tokyo announced 896 new daily coronavirus infections on Thursday, nearing highs that the city faced in mid-May.
The COVID-19 vaccine rollout has been slow in Japan, as only a quarter of the population has received at least one of their vaccination shots.
The Olympics begin on July 23 and will run through Aug. 8.