The Tokyo Olympic torch relay will start on Thursday as planned in northeastern Fukushima prefecture but without a torch or torchbearers, according to a local government official.
The relay is due to start on 26 March from Fukushima Prefecture. It is planned that the torch will be transported by car on roads where there will be almost no spectators. These measures are being taken in connection with the threat of the spread of coronavirus.
The World Health Organization on 11 March declared the outbreak of the coronavirus disease a pandemic. According to the recent statistics compiled by Johns Hopkins University, over 380,000 coronavirus cases and over 16,500 fatalities have so far been confirmed globally.
