Organizers of the Tokyo Olympics may contemplate excluding spectators from large-scale events held at night.

The governors of the prefectures of Chiba and Saitama, both near Tokyo, have previously urged organizers to prohibit fans from attending nighttime activities in their areas.

Organizers of the Tokyo Olympics are considering banning spectators from nighttime and large-scale events. The Games are set to begin on July 23 despite concerns about the development of the Covid-19 epidemic as a result of possible crowds that may occur during the event.

The governors of the prefectures of Chiba and Saitama, both near Tokyo, have previously urged organizers to prohibit fans from attending nighttime activities in their areas.

Their proposal is being considered, and a decision will be reached at a five-way meeting that will include the Tokyo governor, the president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and the president of Tokyo 2020, according to the Olympics Minister Tamayo Marukawa.

The discussions will take place on July 8, according to the Kyodo news agency.

Next week, the government is likely to decide whether or not to lift the “quasi-emergency” declared in Tokyo and other regions of the country.

According to polls, the majority of Japanese people oppose having the Olympics, citing health experts’ fears that it might result in a new surge of diseases. After a year of delays owing to the epidemic, the Games are set to begin on July 23.

The organizers have promised to keep the Games “safe and secure,” citing the fact that past big athletic events have gone off without a hitch.

While they have prohibited international spectators, they have opted to limit local spectators to 10,000 per venue, or 50% of capacity, for the Games, despite medical experts advising that no spectators would be the “least dangerous” choice.

Sebastian Coe, president of World Athletics and a member of the IOC, told CNBC on Thursday that the Olympics “will go ahead and they should go ahead,” dismissing worries that they may become a “superspreader” event.