Tokyo: Japanese health minister Katsunobu Kato said Tuesday that is still too early to consider cancelling the upcoming Tokyo Summer Olympics due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Kato was responding to a question after the government announced plans to encourage companies to allow employees to work from home, expand hospital treatment capacity and urge to increase hygiene and if hosting an Olympic Games would still be work within the new policies.
Katsunobu Kato, Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare said, "You mentioned the Tokyo Olympics, but we are talking about the present. The Tokyo Olympics is in July, so now is not the time to say this or that about the situation. The basic policy is a request for an action to be taken right away, at the present moment."
"In many cases, infected people have barely infected people around them. However, there are some cases where it is suspected that the infection has spread from a specific person to many people. In certain circumstances, such as talking to many people at short distances in a closed environment, there is a risk of spreading the infection even without coughing or sneezing," he added.
While there are no plans to cancel or postpone the Tokyo Olympics, IOC member Dick Pound told that he believes a decision should be made within the three-month window ahead the Opening Ceremonies to ensure a smooth running of the event.
