A new medical facility designed to exclusively treat COVID-19 patients with mild or moderate symptoms opened in Tokyo on Wednesday.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government renovated a former healthcare facility in Fuchu City. It is the first facility run by the metropolitan government that is designed to care exclusively for coronavirus patients who need to be hospitalized.
Medical experts say a surge in new coronavirus cases in Tokyo is starting to overstretch its healthcare system, making it very difficult to provide care for other patients.
The warning came when an advisory panel of infectious disease and public health experts met Tokyo Metropolitan Government officials on Thursday for a weekly assessment of the coronavirus situation.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government says 327 new cases of coronavirus infection were confirmed on Sunday.
This is the 12th day in a row that the daily case count has exceeded 300 in the Japanese capital.
Tokyo Metropolitan government sources say more than 500 new cases of the coronavirus were confirmed in the Japanese capital on Thursday.
This would be the first time the daily tally for Tokyo has exceeded 500. The previous record of 493 new infections was marked on Wednesday.
An expert panel advising the Japanese government has yet to approve a plan to add Tokyo to the "Go To Travel" campaign from October.
In a panel meeting on Friday, the experts agreed to make a final decision on the matter based on the situation of coronavirus infections in late September.
Tokyo officials say 187 people died of heatstroke in August in the Japanese capital. Of those people, 178 passed away indoors.
The Medical Examiner's Office says 95 percent of those who perished indoors were not using air conditioners.
A family-friendly amusement park in Tokyo is closing its doors after 94 years in operation.
Toshimaen in Nerima Ward was crowded soon after it opened for its last day on Monday.
Tokyo Governor Koike Yuriko reported 463 new cases of the coronavirus in the Japanese capital on Friday.
This is the first time Tokyo's daily tally has surpassed 400. The figure is nearly 100 more than the 367 cases reported on Thursday.
Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward has seen sharp rises in the number of coronavirus tests and the percentage of those testing positive.
Health officials and workers are concerned that a further rise in infections could overwhelm the ward's testing capacity.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government says newly confirmed cases of the coronavirus topped 100 on Friday. The capital's daily total has hit triple digits for the second day in a row.
For the first time in nearly three months, a street in Tokyo's Ginza shopping district has been reopened to pedestrian traffic only.
On Saturday morning, police officers set up fences along the street in central Ginza to block vehicle traffic.
Tokyo has seen another increase in the number of new coronavirus infections. One-hundred sixty-six cases were confirmed on Sunday alone, bringing the total in the capital to more than 2,000.
Residents of Tokyo spent their first weekend at home since a month-long state of emergency was declared.
Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo says it's good that the central and Tokyo metropolitan governments have agreed on the types of businesses that will be requested to close temporarily under the state of emergency to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
Abe told reporters on Friday that it is important to do everything possible under the law to contain the spread of infections.
Saturday morning around Tokyo's Ikebukuro station was quieter than usual as people appeared to be following a request to stay home. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government continues to urge against nonessential weekend outings as a way of containing the coronavirus.
Department stores stand shuttered behind posters advising of temporary closures. The district's major electronics stores have also shortened their opening hours.