Full backing for lockdown

Safety-first: A man and a woman stand with the backdrop of the Olympic rings floating in the water in the Odaiba section in Tokyo. The added possibility of an Olympics without foreign spectators would increase the hit to the economy. — AP

TOKYO: The likely extension of Tokyo’s state of emergency is worth the trade off against the risk of a renewed uptick in virus cases that could threaten the staging of the Summer Olympics, according to economists.

Suppressing activity for a little longer won’t add too much extra damage to an economy that is already showing some signs of recovery even under existing restrictions, economists said. At the same time, ensuring there is no rebound in virus infections will help maintain the case for staging the games which is set to start in July, they added.