The organizing committee of the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics has launched a task force to sort out issues arising from the postponement of the games.

The move comes after the International Olympic Committee decided on Tuesday to put off the games until the summer of 2021 at the latest due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Students at public high schools in Tokyo will start a new school year next month. The metropolitan board of education says students in each grade will be allowed to attend school on alternate days as a preventive measure against the coronavirus.

The board released guidelines for preventing infections on Thursday. The officials also say schools should start classes later so that students can avoid commuting during the rush hour.

Tokyo's governor is urging residents to stay home this weekend unless they absolutely must go out. The call comes after officials confirmed more than 40 new cases of the coronavirus on Wednesday ... the largest one-day spike the city has seen so far.

Yuriko Koike told reporters on Wednesday, "We are now at a critical juncture. We want Tokyo residents to realize this and do their work at home as much as possible on weekdays ... though we understand that may not be possible depending on your line of work. We want people to refrain from going out at night. We also want residents to refrain from going out this weekend, unless it is urgent."

Tokyo governor is calling on residents in the city to stay home this coming weekend unless they absolutely need to go out.

It comes after officials confirmed more than 40 more cases of infection with the new coronavirus on Wednesday, the largest one-day spike the city has seen so far.

Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike says that 41 people were confirmed to be infected with the new coronavirus in Japan's capital on Wednesday.

The daily count has more than doubled from 17 for the previous day.

An infectious disease expert is calling for stepping up measures against the new coronavirus in Tokyo.

Professor Atsuo Hamada at Tokyo Medical University spoke to NHK after at least 40 new people were confirmed to be infected with the virus in Japan's capital on Wednesday.

Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike will soon hold a news conference to call on residents to refrain from non-essential outing this weekend to prevent the further spread of the coronavirus.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and US President Donald Trump have discussed the decision to postpone the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games that were scheduled for this summer.

Abe and Trump spoke on the phone Wednesday morning, Japan time, for about 40 minutes. The talks came at the request of Japan's side.

Organizers of the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics face a host of tasks to tackle as they prepare for a postponement of the games for about one year.

The International Olympic Committee decided on Tuesday to put off the games until the summer of 2021 at the latest due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The International Olympic Committee is initiating talks with organizers as well as the governments of Tokyo and Japan on how to handle the Tokyo Games, including a possible postponement.

If the Games which are scheduled to open on July 24 are delayed because of the new coronavirus, many difficulties lie ahead.

Tokyo Metropolitan Government officials plan to secure up to 4,000 hospital beds to accept new coronavirus patients in case of a sudden surge in infections.

Officials on Monday held a meeting of a new coronavirus taskforce and disclosed future policies to respond to the outbreak.

The head of the Tokyo Olympic organizing committee has indicated that it would consider the possibility of postponing the games as the coronavirus continues to spread around the world.

Yoshiro Mori met reporters on Monday after the IOC said it will conclude discussions on the games, including possible postponement, within four weeks.

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has said postponement of the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics may have to be considered if the Games cannot be held in a complete form.

Abe made the remark at a Diet panel on Monday after the International Olympic Committee said it will start discussing how to handle the Games, including their possible postponement due to the global coronavirus pandemic.

Weather officials declared on Sunday that cherry trees are in full bloom in Tokyo.

The Meteorological Agency's announcement came 12 days earlier than average and was five days earlier than last year. Central Tokyo was as warm as in late May, with a daytime high of 23.7 degrees Celsius.