The 2021 Tokyo Olympics are set to take place despite growing worries about the COVID-19 pandemic.
On New Year's Day (January 1), The Times reported that Yoshihide Suga, Japan's prime minister, confirmed that the games will take place as scheduled.
“This summer, we will hold the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games, which are a symbol of world unity,” he said. “We will make steady preparations to realize a safe and secure tournament.”
According to The Daily Mail, athletes will have to quarantine for fourteen days prior to the games to enter the country and compete.
Due to the postponement, it has cost organizers and sponsors more than a considerable amount of money. Organizers announced last month that the total cost for the games was risen by $2.8 billion. The increase included $900 million in COVID-19 preventative measures. According to The Guardian, Japanese taxpayers will front most of the bill.
In March, official organizers postponed the summer event due to the coronavirus. There is still a growing concern that bringing so many people together will cause a surge in COVID-19 cases.
Tokyo’s governor, Yuriko Koike, told news outlets that the city had 1,300 new infections on Thursday (December 31), a record for the city.