Real scramble

Nakamura said that the summer heat poses another obstacle for Tokyo, and "there will be situations where it's hard to balance both heat and coronavirus countermeasures," such as when people in masks queue outside venues.

Tokyo government official Yoichiro Hara, who oversees preparations on public roads around the venues, added that "the symptoms of heat exhaustion can be similar to those of the coronavirus".

Hara said his team is considering whether medical staff at first-aid stations should wear full protective suits, but with the difficulty of gauging the prevalence of the virus in July and no decision yet on the number of spectators, they have been unable to decide on how many stations are needed.