The Japanese government is considering allowing Japanese fans to attend Olympic and Paralympic events if they provide proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test result, The Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper reports.
The coronavirus test will need to have been taken no earlier than a week prior to attending the Olympics. Fans would not be allowed to cheer and would be required to wear face masks and take temperature checks.
The final decision on whether to allow Japanese fans at the Tokyo Olympics will be made in June, Yomiuri Shimbun said.
The Summer Olympics in Tokyo were initially scheduled for 2020 but were postponed in the spring of last year amid the coronavirus pandemic. The Games are currently scheduled to be held this summer, from July 23 until August 8.
Because of COVID-19, the Japanese government has decided to hold the Tokyo Olympics and Paraolympics without foreign spectators.
An increasing number of people have been calling for the Olympics to be cancelled, concerned by pandemic-related threats to public safety and the strain on the country’s healthcare system that is already struggling with a new surge in COVID-19 cases.