Grappling with soaring coronavirus cases, Japan may consider declaring a state of emergency in the Greater Tokyo metropolitan area this week.

A number of the new cases have been linked to a new, potentially more infectious variant. The increasing corona cases have cast fresh doubt over whether Japan can push ahead with the Olympics and keep economic damage to a minimum.

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said that even during the three days of the New Year’s holidays, cases didn’t go down in the greater Tokyo area.

However, he did not say when the government would make a decision, or what restrictions would follow. The country saw a record 4,520 new cases on Dec. 31, prompting the capital, Tokyo, and three neighbouring prefectures to seek an emergency declaration from the national government.