A provincial governor in Japan calls for canceling the Olympic torch parade

The Governor of the Japanese Prefecture of Osaka, Hirofumi Yoshimura, announced today that the Olympic torch relay in the city should be canceled due to the increase in Coronavirus infections.

The call comes with the imposition of new health measures in Osaka and two other Japanese provinces to cope with the increasing number of cases of Covid-19.

"I personally believe that the torch relay in Osaka should be canceled," Yoshimura told reporters.

And local media indicated that the organizers of the Olympiad have not commented on the invitation supported by the mayor of the city of Osaka.

"This is very unfortunate," the Nikkei newspaper quoted Mayor Ichiro Matsui as saying, "but the torch relay should be canceled."

The Olympic torch relay began on March 25 in Fukushima, with organizers hoping to help restore enthusiasm across Japan after a year of delay due to the outbreak of the pandemic.

The torch was scheduled to pass through Osaka Prefecture on April 13 and 14, from the city of Sakai and ending with the city of Osaka.

The governor of the Shiman region had also indicated the possibility of calling for the cancellation of the march in his region in the event that the health measures were not tightened.

The torch relay, like the Olympic Games itself, is completely different from the previous editions, where spectators must wear protective masks and line the streets while avoiding crowds, but shouting and encouragement will be prohibited, provided that it is limited to applause and the use of distributed goods.

The crowd was prevented from attending the torch lighting ceremony and the first part of its path.

Coronavirus infections are increasing in the prefectures of Osaka, Hugo and Miyagi, as the government is expected to announce new restrictions for those areas later Thursday, allowing officials there to ask companies and institutions to close early, on pain of paying fines.

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