Japan’s Emperor Naruhito and his family members on Tuesday decided not to leave Tokyo for their annual summer holiday due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.
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According to the Imperial Household Agency, the imperial family will not travel to its summer residences in Tochigi and Shizuoka prefectures to avoid passersby crowding to catch a glimpse of the royals and potentially spreading the virus.
Gov. Yuriko Koike had called on the population of Tokyo to refrain from travelling to other prefectures due to a rising number of infections, with 207 new cases recorded in the capital.
The Japanese Government has started a tourism campaign to boost the local economy, which Tokyo has not participated in.
However, many have criticised the campaign as premature, as infection numbers are rising also outside Tokyo.