Japan PM Suga urges travel curbs as COVID-19 cases surge before Paralympics

FILE PHOTO: A security guard wearing a protective mask, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, walks past the symbol of the Paralympic Games under installation at the National Stadium, the main venue of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, August 10, 2021. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

TOKYO (Reuters) -Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on Friday urged people to refrain from travelling as COVID-19 cases spiked to new records in Tokyo and nationwide, heaping pressure on the medical system.

His comments follow health expert recommendations to strengthen states of emergency now in place in the capital and other hot spots.