JAPAN TODAY


 

The Tokyo metropolitan government reported 237 new cases of the novel coronavirus on Tuesday, Gov Yuriko Koike said, as the capital struggles to strike a balance between restarting the economy and controlling infections.

Tokyo's cumulative total reached 9,816, nearing 10,000, as the single-day figure, which compared with 168 cases on Monday, topped the 200-mark for the first time in three days.

Since the government entirely lifted a state of emergency in the country in late May, the number of additional infections has been on an uptrend in Tokyo and other urban areas.

This month, Tokyo has seen new daily cases in triple digits on all but two days.

The Tokyo metropolitan government reported a record 293 cases on Friday.

On July 15, the metropolitan government raised its alert for the pandemic to the highest of four levels, meaning "infections are spreading."

As of Monday, out of the around 1,500 hospital beds secured by the Tokyo government for coronavirus treatment, 920, or about 60 percent, were occupied amid a resurgence of the pandemic. The number of people testing positive and requiring hospitalization has been on the rise since late June.


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