Tokyo Olympics venues to be no-fly zones

ANKARA

Tokyo Olympics venues will be marked no-fly zones this summer to help protect against terrorism, Japan announced on Thursday.

The country’s Transport Ministry said in a statement the no-fly zone will be enforced from July 21 to Sept. 5 “as part of measures to prevent terrorism.”

The 2020 Tokyo Olympics, postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, are scheduled to be held between July 23 and Aug. 8. The Paralympics will follow from Aug. 24 to Sept. 5, local Kyodo News reported.

“Regular flights departing from or arriving at Tokyo's Haneda airport will not be subject to the restriction,” the ministry said.

“The no-fly zone will be in place from two hours before the start of competitions to an hour after they finish, covering flights of all altitudes,” it added.

The games’ opening and closing ceremonies will also be protected.

It said Olympic events outside of the capital, such as the marathons in Sapporo, “will also be subject to a no-fly zone.”

Organizers have announced strict measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 infections among athletes, officials, and locals.

On their first three days in Japan, all visiting officials will be tested daily, and for their first two weeks, they are not allowed to eat with other game officials.

The athletes and coaches will undergo saliva-based tests every day. Limits have also been put on means of transportation for the visiting officials.

Additionally, all the overseas participants have been asked to monitor their health 14 days traveling to Japan.

Japan has reported 609,603 COVID-19 cases, including 10,466 deaths, since the outbreak, according to official figures.