Japan's government has announced a new virus state of emergency stretching throughout the Olympics, as reports said organisers could bar fans from almost all events at the Games, AFP reports.

With just two weeks until the July 23 opening ceremony, coronavirus infections are rising in the capital, and the spread of the more infectious Delta variant has spooked officials. The rising cases threaten to derail plans to let up to 10,000 local fans into Olympic venues, and could mean Tokyo 2020 is the first ever Games held behind closed doors.

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said the emergency measures will be in place until August 22. But the government could lift the emergency earlier “if the effect of vaccines becomes clear and an improvement is seen in the situation of hospital beds”, Suga said.