Tokyo reported a record rise in coronavirus cases, as Japan experiences a surge that now includes a new, fast spreading strain while the government urges people to stay home.

Infections of the virus that causes Covid-19 hit a record 949 in the capital just as Japan heads into New Year holidays that normally see people stream from the capital into the provinces, according to Reuters.

Serious cases were unchanged from a day earlier at 81.

A day earlier, Japan reported its first cases of a fast spreading variant in passengers arriving from Britain.

The new variant has also been detected in a man who visited that country and a family member — the first cases of infected people found outside airport checks — Nippon TV reported.