Tokyo, July 27 (Jiji Press)–The Tokyo metropolitan government plans to draw up measures to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus among athletes and spectators at the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games, scheduled for next summer, by the end of this year.

With no end to the pandemic in sight, the metropolitan government, which regards making the games a success as the highest priority issue, will work with the central government and the games’ organizing committee to compile the prevention measures.

“We will push forward with preparations for the events as we prioritize the implementation of coronavirus measures,” Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike said when she held a meeting with Yoshiro Mori, chairman of the organizing committee, on July 6.

A senior official from the metropolitan government offered the view that the pandemic will not die down by next summer, and that vaccines for the virus will not be available widely around the world by then as well.

Mori said at the meeting with Koike that the organizing committee will set up by this autumn a panel also involving the central government to discuss COVID-19 prevention measures, confirming the committee’s plan to cooperate with the metropolitan government in achieving its goal to lay out such measures within this year.